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Police chief: mental-health calls up; department awarded $25,000 USDA security grant
Summary
Chief Stegall told council officers have responded to 27 mental-health-related calls since Aug. 1, which has reduced proactive traffic enforcement; he also announced a $25,000 USDA grant to upgrade security systems at city facilities.
Chief Stegall reported the department's focus on Labor Day preparations and an increase in mental-health-related calls that has limited proactive enforcement.
"Since August 1, we've had 27 calls for mental health reasons for people dealing with mental health or having a mental health crisis," Chief Stegall said, noting these calls can range from 15'20 minutes to several hours when officers coordinate with the mobile crisis team and hospitals. He said the department has been "pretty thin" but remains responsive to day-to-day calls.
Stegall also announced a $25,000 award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to upgrade internal and exterior security systems at city hall, the park and the fire hall, and thanked staff who helped submit paperwork on short notice. Councilors asked whether neighboring jurisdictions saw similar call volumes; Stegall said Raymond has more officers and a shared DCR through Great Rivers and the Pacific County Sheriff's Office that is intended to be a shared resource.
