By Bryant Somerville
It’s a new way to patrol and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says it’s been a problem for far too long. “I would suggest since the 1950s, when this problem really started with the closure of mental health hospitals,” Sgt. Scott Blacker said. Sgt. Blacker is with the Community Intervention and Diversion unit, or CID. He says in the last 10 years, the sheriff’s office has seen an excessively high number of people in jail who struggle with mental illness. “But when you look at that, is that the appropriate place to house somebody who’s got mental issues?” Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said.
Source: JusticeCenter