Combat veteran Damian Daniels was shot and killed by a Bexar County Sheriff's Office deputy responding to a mental health call on Aug. 25.
In response, county officials are rolling out a program that will train deputies to identify mental health calls and reroute them to a unit specifically equipped to handle those kinds of crises, to prevent more unnecessary violence in law enforcement interactions with individuals experiencing mental health conditions.
The pilot program is a partnership between the Office of Criminal Justice, the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Acadian Ambulance and the Center for Health Care Services.
How will this alternate response model work? How are deputies being trained?
What are the goals and priorities of the program? How will the county measure its success?
Guests:
- Mike Lozito, director for the Office of Criminal Justice Bexar County
- Jelynne Burley, president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services
- Sarah Hogan, division director for the Southwest Texas Crisis Collaborative at Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.
*This interview was recorded on Monday, October 5.
