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The Sheriff’s Office understands the importance of the special training and operations for persons with mental health and substance use disorders who are in crisis. Over the last 40 years, changes in mental health laws, closing of mental health facilities and law enforcement policies have brought law enforcement officers into ever increasing contacts with people who suffer from mental illness and substance use disorders. Local Santa Barbara County Law Enforcement officials have estimated that anywhere from 15- 60% of all calls for service involve some type of contact with a mentally ill subject.
The Sheriff’s Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU) was formed to oversee cases involving mental illness and substance use, develop a Crisis Intervention Team and to build community partnerships to help adopt restorative justice principles to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and into treatment.
Our BSU developed an 8-hour and 40-hour P.O.S.T. certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) course where law enforcement learn about various mental illnesses, de-escalation techniques and local resources. a 36 hour course has also been created specifically for our custody staff. To date, the BSU has trained over 1,300 local law enforcement in CIT including; custody deputies, patrol deputies; dispatchers, University of California Santa Barbara Police Department, Santa Maria Police Department, Santa Barbara Police Department, Probation, District Attorneys office, Public Defenders office, and staff within Behavioral Wellness. We continue to offer the training to all local law enforcement agencies within Santa Barbara County and are proud to work with our partners at the National Alliance of Mental Illness and the Department of Behavioral Wellness.
The BSU is proud to have launched Santa Barbara Counties first county Co-Response program with our partners at Behavioral Wellness. We have three such teams operating in all parts of the county. Co-response is where CIT trained deputy and a mental health clinician or case worker from county Behavioral Wellness are partnered up and paired together to respond to mental health crises. Our three teams are currently grant funded through the end of 2022. If you would like to learn more about the BSU initiatives and programming you may contact Dr. Cherylynn Lee at (805) 681 4231, crl5034@sbsheriff.org
If you or your loved one are expecting a mental health crisis and need to call 911
USE THIS CHECKLIST!
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Today is Administrative Professionals Day and we want to thank all our behind-the scenes staff who keep the Sheriff’s Office running smoothly by maintaining our records, paying bills, stocking supplies, preparing reports and correspondence, answering phones, and helping the public.
We appreciate all of your hard work and are thankful to have you on our team! 🌟
🌟 This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Our public safety dispatchers and call takers are an extraordinary group of women and men who answer emergency calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Answering calls for help from members of the public, and dispatching cops, paramedics and firefighters to law enforcement, medical and fire emergencies - many of which are inter-connected - requires great levels of technical skill, coolness under extreme conditions, an outstanding ability to communicate, dedication to duty, and large doses of tact, patience, common sense, and empathy for the plight of others.
🙏🏼 Thank you to our dispatchers and call takers for the amazing work you do every day! 📞
Join us on-line on Thursday, April 25, 2024 to discuss funding, acquisition, and use of SBSO’s equipment that is considered military equipment pursuant to Assembly Bill 481.
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 233 399 032 129
Passcode: 7JfiCQ
Or call in (audio only) +1 805-724-6760,,737039882#
Phone Conference ID: 737 039 882#
📊The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is sharing preliminary stats related to the 2024 Deltopia weekend. We issued 256 citations and made 32 arrests (all misdemeanors).
Rain and wind on Friday made for a calm and relatively uneventful first day of Deltopia. The crowds were largest on Saturday and significantly larger than last year’s event and concentrated at residences along the ocean side of Del Playa. Attendance spiked in the early afternoon along with an increase in emergency medical calls, most of which were for acute alcohol intoxication.
Most residents complied with the Outdoor Festival Ordinance, however 13 citations were issued for illegal parties, in accordance with the new Social Host Ordinance where deputies encountered rooftop partygoers and noise violations. One paid party was also shut down. Deputies noted compliance from the community on maintaining smaller, free parties. The Sheriff’s Office noted no incidents of cliff fall or fentanyl overdose fatalities.
Thank you to our community partners and first responders from @santabarbaracountyfire , @amr_social , Alcoholic Beverage Control, @ucsbpolice , @chp_santabarbara , @smpdhq , @sbcsar , and Santa Barbara County Emergency Medical Services.
As we approach the unsanctioned festival known as Deltopia, here are some quick tips for a safe weekend! 👍🏽
🌟 Our recent retirees were honored at the Board of Supervisors meeting today.
👏🏼 Join us in congratulating Sergeant Henebry, K9 Odin, and Administrative Office Professionals Marla Arnoldi and Karen Kozak.
🙏🏼 Thank you all for your service- you will be missed!
🌟 We are proud to introduce the newest member of the Sheriff’s Office team – Deputy Oliver. Earlier today, Sheriff Brown lead a swearing-in ceremony at Headquarters that was attended by Deputy Oliver’s family and Sheriff’s Office staff.
👮🏽♀️👨🏽💼The Sheriff’s Office is hiring for a variety of exciting and rewarding careers – learn more at SBSheriff.org!
☕️ Thank you to everyone who joined us for Coffee with a Cop today! This was a great opportunity to have conversations with our community members and connect over a cup of coffee.
🏆 Join us in congratulating Custody Deputy Soto, who was honored today at the Military Order of the World Wars, Colonel George C. Woolsey Chapter 113 awards luncheon with the National Law and Order Outstanding Performance Award. This recognition honors those who excel in local, and national security, homeland security, law enforcement and service to the community.
Santa Maria Valley Community of Prayer stopped by NBJ to learn more about the work of the Sheriff’s Office in serving our local communities and the challenges faced by our team members. Thanks for the visit and chance to connect @ndop_santamaria