Galveston County’s 50-year-old mental health division faces an uncertain future as leadership transitions and concerns grow over staff departures under the incoming sheriff.
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Uncertainty hangs over the mental health division of Galveston County, a specialized staff functioning for almost five decades, as it gets ready to swear in Sheriff-elect Jimmy Fullen. Apart from worries about staff leaving, there are some concerns about cuts to the program, a vital community resource.
Established in 1976, the section on mental health approaches things differently. Deputies answer in plain attire and unmarked cars to lessen the stigma when answering calls. Mental health coordinator Brenda Castro-Hughes, who has worked with the division for 17 years, stated, "They still carry a gun and badge but approach circumstances differently."
Castro-Hughes related a recent incident in which deputies de-escalated a man in crisis without hospitalizing him. Emphasizing the effect of the separation on community support and hence lessening the law enforcement burden, she added, "He just needed someone to talk to."
Castro-Hughes was told she would lose her position when Sheriff Fullen takes office in January, despite his guarantees the division is "not going anywhere" and his stated aim of extending mental health training for patrol and school deputies. She worries other team members might meet a similar end.
Professor Kimberly Dodson of the University of Houston-Clear Lake criminology stressed the significance of the division in helping to lower recurring mental health institution admissions and free law enforcement resources.
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