San Bernardino County Sheriff and Department of Behavioral Health Connection: Is the Bridge Strong Enough?

The lack of mandatory CIT training for those hired prior to 2013 prevents a buy-in philosophy and fully trained department, and an inconsistent understanding and unified response in policing of the mentally ill.

There is no dedicated CIT refresher course for San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department personnel.

There is no updated training for new laws and resources after jail and prior to patrol assignment for deputies.

The CIT Deputy and CIT Lieutenant are not assigned to the same division which impedes effectiveness, communication, authority, and unification of SBCSD CIT personnel.

One CIT Station Coordinator per station is not sufficient.

No CIT trained roster for sheriff personnel is maintained and accessible.

CIT forms are full of extraneous DBH questions which make the forms cumbersome to complete for patrol deputies on calls. The result is incomplete CIT forms or CIT forms not submitted at all.

Routing of CIT Forms is not meeting the required 48-hour turnaround to DBH. Delays cause a lack of mental health services and follow-up case management services.

One Test personnel assigned to patrol stations is not sufficient. Ability to assist patrol deputies in the field is restricted/limited due to case management paperwork.

More DBH vehicles are needed for TEST personnel to perform duties. San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report 77 SMH

Tracking mental illness calls for service recidivism needs to be formalized.

Lack of services and beds for the mentally ill in the high desert results in excessive use of time and resources. RECOMMENDATIONS R21-1: Sheriff’s Department to CIT train all deputies hired prior to 2013 who have not received the 40-hour CIT training. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-2: SBCSD and DBH institute a full 8-hour CIT focused refresher course every 3 – 5 years. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-3: SBCSD and DBH develop virtual mental health/resource updates for deputies leaving the jail and entering patrol assignment. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-4: SBCSD to unify all CIT personnel under the same division for the continuity of CIT chain-of-command. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-5: SBCSD to assign a minimum of two CIT Station Coordinators per patrol station. To be implemented immediately. R21-6: SBCSD to develop an accessible and continually updated CIT trained sheriff personnel roster. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-7: SBCSD and DBH to revise and simplify the CIT form to be more deputy user-friendly to facilitate completion by law enforcement in the field. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-8: SBCSD and DBH to make the CIT form a duplicate tear-off form with the tear-off portion given to TEST staff at patrol station for immediate follow- up. This alerts and allows immediate notification to station TEST personnel 78 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report SMH of clients without interrupting original CIT form processing to DBH. In the case of electronic transmission (email), provide a copy to TEST station person immediately. To be implemented immediately. R21-9: DBH to assign two or more TEST personnel per station. To be implemented by October 2022. R21-10: DBH to provide more vehicles for TEST personnel (preferably one per TEST person) at each patrol station. To be implemented by October 2022. R21-11: SBCSD and DBH to develop a formal and accessible system to track recidivism of the mentally ill. To be implemented by June 2022. R21-12: DBH to develop a collaboration among stakeholders for high desert accessible mentally ill hospital and/or procurement of land for a facility. To be implemented by October 2022. San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report 79 SMH EXHIBITS: E-1: Current CIT form (sample) 80 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report SMH E-2: Cover sheet and Survey San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report 81 SMH 82 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report SMH San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report 83 This Page Left Intentionally Blank 84 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report