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Mission mayor, councilwoman highlight police mental-health unit’s crisis response and outreach
Summary
Mayor Noree Gonzales Garza and Councilwoman Jessica Ortega hosted a City of Mission podcast episode with mental-health officers Hernandez and Moreno to explain the unit’s five-year history, training (CIT, de‑escalation, negotiator), a BJA grant that funded positions, partnerships with Tropical Texas and how residents can request help.
Mayor Noree Gonzales Garza and Councilwoman Jessica Ortega used a City of Mission podcast episode to spotlight the Mission Police Department’s mental-health unit and explain how the team responds to crises, trains officers and connects residents to services.
The unit, officers said, was established about five years ago and has grown from two officers to four in part because of federal grant support. "This grant has been in in play for about 3 years already. It's through, BJA," Officer Hernandez said, describing funding that supported two full-time mental-health peace officers and helped expand the unit’s outreach.
Councilwoman Jessica Ortega framed the episode as an effort to inform residents about a rising local need, saying regional rates of depression and anxiety are high; she cited a 14.1 percent adult prevalence and said many children in the Rio Grande Valley experience mental-health issues each year. Ortega introduced the officers and…
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