PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has created a new unit to help citizens with mental health issues.
This comes just days after 8 On Your Side Investigates exposed issues in the handling of these types of cases in the field.
Dramatic body camera video showed the aftermath of an alleged break-in in Rolling Oaks Estates last month. The suspect, Devin Cooke, was thought to be mentally ill.
At the time, deputies struggled to determine whether he could be charged with a crime.
Cooke is now facing a felony. His mother tells 8 On Your Side he has a history of legal troubles and mental illness.
Sheriff Chris Nocco says the goal of the new unit is to keep the mentally ill out of the criminal justice system and to get them help.
Sheriff Nocco says his department has been working on this new unit since October 2018.
The Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT) is set to start on October 1, 2019. The specialized unit will be composed of three clinical social workers, six deputies, a lieutenant, and a sergeant.
The team will work with the local behavioral health community to help those suffering from mental illnesses who frequently come in contact with the department.
Sheriff Nocco says the need is great, especially in Pasco County.
“The Pasco Sheriff’s Office responded to 174,772 calls for service in 2018. Of those calls for service, 19,283 were related to mental health issues, or 11 percent of the total calls,” the agency said in a news release.
The mental health problem is suspected to be even greater.
“That 11% is not true, we all know that it’s a much higher number,” said Sheriff Nocco.
Whether it’s a call for a break-in, domestic violence or disorderly conduct, Sheriff Nocco says suspects often have an underlying mental health or substance abuse issue.
The specialized unit will not be responding to everyday mental health-related calls.
“That’s still done by patrol,” said Sheriff Nocco.
Instead, they will be case detectives focusing on the most serious incidents.
Lieutenant Toni Roach will help to assemble and also oversee the team dedicated to getting people to help.
“We can spend that time with them to understand what those barriers are,” she said,” “and then strategize with our community partners to create those pathways.”
The plan is evolving but the unit will start by focusing on about 500 Pasco residents who are frequently taken in for a mental health evaluation.
The unit will also work to help assess threats as they come in.
“Are these people going to do violence in our community, are they going to shoot up a school?” said Sheriff Nocco.
Deputies will also try to get resources to people who are jailed but need help.
According to PCSO, at any given time approximately 25 to 33 percent of the jailed population needs treatment for a mental health-related issue.
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