Onslow sheriff working to train all deputies in crisis intervention, will help combat county mental health crises
The Onslow County Sheriff's Office is working to train all deputies in a training that will help combat the county mental health crisis.
At the Feb. 6 Onslow County Board of Commissioners meeting, Sheriff Chris Thomas presented the Governer's Crime Commission Crisis Intervention Training Grant, which will help to provide the overtime costs needed to train the remaining 80 or so deputies in crisis intervention training.
Thomas said his office has responded to over 2,500 mental health calls in the last three years, a nearly 10% increase since 2019. He said he thinks the rise is from a combination of restrictions during COVID-19 and the growing fentanyl epidemic.
"We've got to make sure we focus on the treatment of these folks, and make sure that we can deescalate the situation if an individual is in a crisis, and not exacerbate it," Thomas told The Daily News.
Thomas said the training is mainly to help deputies know how to identify individuals who are suffering from a mental health crisis and see the indicators to try and learn about the experiences people are going through.
The grant funds, approved by the board on Feb. 6, were provided in the amount of $75,000 for each of two years.
"This training also helps us to identify the resources that are available to call and provide to these individuals," Thomas said. "Treatment centers, counseling places, different avenues, different ways to help these individuals address their crises."
Thomas said the training is a week-long and his office partners with the community college and the Jacksonville Police Department to complete it. He added this grant will allow OCSO to pay the overtime costs to cover the deputies' shifts so they can get more into a class at one time.
OCSO continues to partner with fellow agencies like the Dix Crisis Center, which Thomas said is vital in the county's fight against mental health crises.
He said some individuals may be charged with a minor criminal issue such as disorderly conduct, but what's really going on is they're having a mental health crisis. He said OCSO has the option to allow the person to go to Dix Crisis and deal with it there, as opposed to being locked up.
"If we can do an intervention or help somebody in a mental health crisis and they don't go to our jail, it helps, obviously the individual in crisis, but it's also a better solution for the county," Thomas said.
Reporter Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@jdnews.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily News: Onslow sheriff working to train all deputies in crisis intervention, will help combat county mental health crises
