Forrest County sheriff commits to improving response to mental health crises. See how

Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims said Tuesday that even though the deputy involved in a fatal shooting in July was cleared of any wrongdoing, he vowed his team would do better when responding to mental health calls.

Sims held a news conference Tuesday to discuss Attorney General Lynn Fitch's determination as well as the sheriff's office findings.

But first Sims told the family of Corey Hughes the department is "truly saddened with any situation involving the loss of life."

"The incident involving Mr. Hughes was tragic and our thoughts and prayers continue for this family," Sims said.

Hughes was shot by a deputy and another deputy was injured when the officers arrived at Hughes' home to take him into custody on July 14. They were not there to arrest him. He committed no crime. The deputies were there to take him to a hospital for treatment after serving him with civil commitment papers.

A civil commitment is one in which a person is deemed to have mental health issues and is involuntarily hospitalized for treatment.

It is unclear what took place in the moments leading up to Hughes'death. Sheriff’s department officials say the injured deputy received a head injury from a blunt object and was taken to an area hospital.

The unidentified officer who shot Hughes was placed on administrative leave while an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was underway. The sheriff's department conducted its own investigation.

On Monday, Fitch released a brief statement regarding the investigation into the shooting.

It reads in full: "The Office of the Attorney General has completed its review into a July 14, 2022, incident involving an officer-involved shooting in Forrest County, and found the use of force by a Forrest County Sheriff’s Deputy was justified. Pursuant to Section 45-1-6 of the Mississippi Code, the review followed an investigation by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation."

Sims said his department has similar findings.

"Their analysis of the event did not reveal any criminal misconduct on the part of any FCSO personnel," Sims said. "In accordance with FCSO policy, the FCSO Investigations Division conducted an administrative investigation to determine whether any policies or procedures had been violated by deputies in completing this assignment. That investigation concluded that the deputy’s actions on that day were in compliance with FCSO policy."

Regardless, Sims said, his department continues to work on improving how the department handles its response to similar incidents.

"We do not just view this incident as 'over and done with,'" the sheriff said. "Our intent is not to relive the events of July 14, but to study them, learn from them, and seek other avenues that might help us shape better outcomes for these types of calls for service in the future."

Among the things Sims began working on even before the investigation was completed was:

• A draft of a new mental health response policy that requires consultation and collaboration with the Forrest County Chancery Clerk and Pine Belt Mental Health Resources leadership.

• Forming a Co-Responder Unit consisting of members from the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office and the Pine Belt Mental Healthcare’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, as a result of meetings with Pine Belt Mental Health and other groups.

• Support from the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, which allocated funds for PBMHR to hire additional Mobile Crisis Response Team personnel committed to Forrest County. The personnel would provide guidance and support to adults and children who are experiencing mental health crises.

• Building teams that work closely with law enforcement to reduce the likelihood of a person experiencing a mental health crisis is unnecessarily placed in a more restrictive environment, like jail or a holding facility, but are diverted to an appropriate avenue of treatment.

• Implementing training for sworn officers who do not have crisis intervention training. While Sims said most of the sheriff's deputies have CIT training, there are some who do not. He did not say whether the deputies who responded to Hughes' home were trained.

"We were not relying on our past and present compliance to determine our future courses of action," Sims said. "Instead, we took considerable time and effort to reflect on the circumstances that unfolded on July 14 of this year and to understand the lessons learned from that day in moving forward with a policy and set of procedures that we believe will show improved outcomes."

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Forrest County Sheriff revisits mental health response policy, see how