WEATHER ALERT
‘Safer Together’ explores how mentally ill are treated by police
Read full article: ‘Safer Together’ explores how mentally ill are treated by policeMembers of the “Safer Together” panel meeting Friday heard from experts and took questions from people to further examine what’s working and what’s not. Of the 2,466 inmates at the Duval County jail, 119 of them have a known mental illness, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. How people with mental illness are treated during their arrest, and the programs that exist to help them -- were just a few of the many topics discussed during the virtual session between council members and the general public. The city launched a Mental Health Offender Program one month ago to help repeat offenders with a mental illness. Mental health advocates also talked about the expansion of a co-responder program, which teams up mental health care experts with officers responding to calls for service.