JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Jacksonville Community Action Committee and other concerned community members are demanding that the city create a dedicated mental health response team.<\/p>\n
On the steps of Jacksonville City Hall, they spoke about how a mental health crisis should not be a death sentence.<\/p>\n
In an Instagram post promoting the \u201cCare Not Cops\u201d conference, the JCAC wrote \u201cNo more for JSO\u201d and \u201cJail killer cops.\u201d The post states that they are demanding more tax dollars go toward supporting neighbors, rather than funding the \u201cviolent and inept sheriff\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that it is possible, I know that other cities have implemented this, and I think its about time that Jacksonville step into the 21st century as well,\u201d said Neal Jefferson, the outreach chair for the JCAC.<\/p>\n
Jefferson says when officers deal with someone experiencing a mental health crisis, they\u2019re more inclined to rely on the training they use when dealing with someone attempting to harm them, rather than the kind required to de-escalate an incident without violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts to think that these people lost their lives, and as they were dying, they were scared and confused and hurting,\u201d Jefferson said.<\/p>\n
Jefferson is referring to people like Rashaud Martin, who died in police custody<\/a> while en route to a mental health facility under the state\u2019s Baker Act.<\/p>\n He also cited the cases of Leah Baker<\/a> and Brian Gillis<\/a>, who were both fatally shot by JSO officers in 2020 and 2025. Both Baker and Gillis had long struggles with mental health issues.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want people in our city to have to fear the people who protect and serve us,\u201d Jefferson said.<\/p>\n The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office does have a Behavioral Crisis Response Unit.<\/p>\n According to our previous reporting, in this unit, the officers are paired up with a provider from the\u00a0Mental Health Resource Center<\/a>. They respond when the police are called.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office special unit pairs officers with mental health professionals \u2013 Action News Jax<\/a><\/p>\n We reached out to JSO and asked how often this happens and what the requirements are to have this unit respond. We are still waiting to hear back.<\/p>\n “They help calm situations, they understand trauma, and they get people the right support that they need,” said Dr. Justin D\u2019Arienzo, a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist.<\/p>\n Dr. D\u2019Arienzo says in these types of programs, the mental health experts can\u2019t intervene until the situation is deemed safe. He\u2019s concerned with the idea of having the city have its own mental health response unit in addition to JSO<\/p>\n “You can try to talk somebody down, but if you\u2019re dealing with somebody that\u2019s mentally ill and they\u2019re not logical at that moment of crisis, a mental health specialist is not always going to be effective,” said Dr. D\u2019Arienzo.\u00a0<\/p>\n We reached out to the city to see if they are considering implementing this. We are still waiting to hear back.\u00a0<\/p>\n >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<<\/a><\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n