BURLESON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — The Burleson County Sheriff's Office is looking to add another deputy to its Crisis Intervention Team to help address the number of mental health crises in the community.
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Randy Jackson, Crisis Intervention Team sergeant at the Burleson County Sheriff's Office, leads the effort to expand the team.
"2 is better than 1… That's what my main concern is — making sure that there's enough of us to go around for what's happening in the county," Jackson said.
Burleson County Sheriff Bill Rios explained to 15 ABC how the Crisis Intervention Team operates:
"It's a collaborative effort between law enforcement, mental health professionals and the community itself," Sheriff Rios said.
The Crisis Intervention Team started in 2020 when county leaders recognized the need for specialized mental health response.
"I respond to the crisis calls within the community, whether they be mental health [or] whether it's just an everyday crisis," Jackson said.
Sheriff Rios praised Jackson's effectiveness in the role.
"He'll go out there and he's been excellent at solving those problems and keeping them out of our jail, and getting them the help that they need and that they deserve," Sheriff Rios said. "It's not just helping that individual, it's helping the family out who this individual is counting on."
Jackson tells 15 ABC that the calls can range from someone threatening self-harm to having a manic episode.
"Whatever that they're going through, whatever it is that they need, I am there to listen," Jackson said. "I am there to show them the options that they have and help them make the right choices to get there."
Since 2020, the program has diverted 216 of our neighbors, saving the county nearly $1.6 million while helping folks avoid prison and get the mental health support they need.
15 ABC asked Jackson why another mental health deputy is wanted and needed.
"We may be a very small county, but we are, we're rural, and we have, I would say we have a very good handful of mental health crisis from week to week," Jackson said. "It's hard to for one person to cover the entire county."
Sheriff Rios tells 15 ABC that they hope to fill the open position soon and may provide crisis intervention training to some of their existing officers to constantly have that type of deputy on duty.
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