While May is designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, EPPD staff work with people dealing with mental health crises on a daily basis.

 To date in 2026 we’ve responded to 133 calls for a person in crisis, 10 suicide attempt calls and six suicide threat calls. 

The department has several programs in place to help us respond to calls of people in crisis. All EPPD officers attend a 40-hour course on crisis intervention techniques. The training uses actors to portray people in mental health crisis including those experiencing Alzheimer’s, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, phobias and other mental illnesses. Officers are then taught how to react in order to de-escalate the situation and get the person the help they need. Our 911 dispatchers also receive de-escalation training so they can help better serve people calling 911. 

In addition, the EPPD has had a Mental Health Unit in place since 2011. The Mental Health Unit is a group of two officers, one sergeant and two social workers who are specially trained to help the department support people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Members of the team follow up on calls we receive where a person is in crisis and speak with the person involved or a family member to make sure they’re getting help.

And finally, the department has two social workers who make direct personal connections with individuals and families to assist them with challenges they face and to connect them with services they may not have been aware of to assist them with long-term help. They build quality relationships with individuals and families who work with them directly rather than calling 911 when they need the kind of assistance a social worker can provide.

Examples of the kind of work the social workers do include assisting individuals who are suffering from chemical dependency and connecting them with County services and assisting individuals who have diagnosed medical conditions that require help with daily life challenges.

 If you or someone you know is in mental health crisis, do not hesitate to call 911 or 988 (the nationwide 24/7 suicide and crisis lifeline).