SAN DIEGO
County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and District Attorney Summer Stephan on Monday highlighted a new initiative that allows clinicians to respond to mental health calls instead of police and said the effort will expand countywide by mid-summer.
The efforts come as communities across the nation push for alternative responses to these types of emergencies, citing police-involved shootings in which officers have injured or killed the person experiencing a mental health crisis.
The initiative began as a pilot program in January and has shown promise, Fletcher and Stephan said. Mobile Crisis Response Teams made up of mental health clinicians, case managers and peer support specialists are available to respond to calls in some communities in North County, including Del Mar, Carlsbad, Vista, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Oceanside.
County leaders discuss early months of North County pilot crisis team program thecoastnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thecoastnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
Editor-at-Large
San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott this week sent out an email soliciting contributions to a legal defense fund – claiming her campaign opponent filed “frivolous lawsuits” against her – but her email mentions two lawsuits that do not fall under the Municipal Code that allows public officials to raise money for legal expenses, and her paperwork filed to create the committee seems to violate the law.
Elliott’s email, titled “
Cory Briggs personally sued me three times” and that “
I need your help to support our Legal Defense Fund to beat back Cory Briggs’ ridiculous attacks in court“. Briggs is a local attorney that ran against Elliott in last year’s election.
San Diego s Court Staff Included in Expanded Covid Vaccination Efforts – Courthouse News Service courthousenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courthousenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The lawsuit says Furcron still suffers from neurological symptoms, permanent facial scarring and loss of vision in one of her eyes. The suit also says doctors have told her she may not regain vision in that eye.
Department officials said in a Friday news release the incident “did not warrant imposing discipline” on Knudson based on “the totality of the circumstances, an independent review by a qualified expert in the areas of use of force and less lethal munitions . and the absence of any significant violation of department policies.”
Furcron’s attorney did not respond to messages seeking comment Friday evening. The expert who conducted the independent review, retired Huntington Beach police Lt. R.K. Miller, declined to comment because the review has not been made public.