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Board prolongs PERT transition, asks for operational plan and September review of mobile crisis response
Summary
Supervisors approved a staff recommendation to transition PERT (Police/Clinician Emergency Response Team) functions into the county’s Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) model, but extended the timeline and asked administration to return with a detailed operational plan and training strategy and a September briefing for further board review.
The Board of Supervisors voted June 9 to proceed with the administration’s plan to transition PERT services into the county’s Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) model, while delaying deletions and directing staff to work closely with local law enforcement to develop an operational plan and training protocols.
Why it matters: PERT is a co‑response model pairing clinicians and law enforcement to respond to high‑acuity behavioral‑health incidents; MCRT is a separate clinician‑led mobile response model. Supervisors sought assurances that the transition would preserve timely coordinated responses countywide and would not leave South County without crisis coverage.
What the board decided: Supervisors approved the motion to proceed with the revised timeline (six‑month extension on certain staffing moves) and to require administration to return in September with a comprehensive plan covering: service coverage by geography, average response time targets, cross‑training with local police agencies, staffing plans to fill vacancies and strategies to avoid gaps in South County. The motion passed unanimously at roll call when taken.
Administration response: County staff said they have met with several law‑enforcement chiefs and will continue operational discussions about dispatch protocols, co‑response training and whether certain clinician positions should be embedded, co‑located or available on‑call. Staff agreed to look at training and joint exercises so clinicians and officers can coordinate response effectively.
Concerns raised: Supervisors and community members emphasized three priorities: preserving response time (PERT historically averaged shorter response times in some jurisdictions), ensuring access in South County where PERT staffing and services are more limited, and avoiding unintended increases in arrests or criminalization of people experiencing behavioral‑health crises.
Next steps: Administration will convene law enforcement partners and community stakeholders, return with an operational plan and provide a September update to the board before completing the transition.
