Summit County Sheriff’s Office SMART Team and Community Partners are Building Hope
Case Manager Scott Bradley was conducting a routine follow up. He sent a text message to a client of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Co- Responder Program, known as SMART— System Wide Mental Assessment Response Team, and what followed was a small success story of partnership between law enforcement and community stakeholders.
Scott and fellow Case Manager Yirka Platt are what make the SCSO SMART team distinctive in an ever-growing realm of co-responder programs housed within public safety organizations. Whereas the co-responder component of the team, a deputy and clinician, respond to and assist in solving immediate crises related to a mental health condition, the SMART team’s Case Managers, Scott and Yirka, manage cases and maintain ongoing communication with clients over the long term. Scott and Yirka are connected to clients through a referral system used by Summit County public safety agencies and community stakeholders and partners or through a call to the Summit County Communications Center. Their primary job is assisting clients in overcoming what can be serious bureaucratic hurdles in seeking public assistance, and most important, treatment for their mental health issues often caused by seemingly overwhelming insecurities.
Proudly, the SMART Program is a community-wide partnership. Stakeholders not only include law enforcement, fire and EMS, in Summit County, but remarkably the SMART program also boasts a wide range of partners such as local government, municipalities, non-profit agencies, churches, local retailers, local hospital and professional services providers, all of whom have the ability to refer clients to SMART. Devoid of such community engagement, the SMART Program simply could not and would not exist.
Scott’s simple text message, “How are you doing?” to a Summit County resident with a long history of criminal behavior related to his homelessness was the first step in the path to what may have been life-saving measures for a man mostly living outdoors in the often brutal cold of a mountain winter. It was accomplished with the help of community partners who responded “yes” without question when asked to assist.
The reply to Scott’s text message was that the client was ok, but in need of some new pants, some winter boots, and thanked him for asking.
Scott’s first consideration in this situation is always funding. “Who can help us with this?”
Scott’s first call in this case went to the Dillon Community Church, just one partner organization that now numbers more than fifteen within Summit County who could be considered stakeholders in this progressive program to assist rather than incarcerate those whose struggle with mental health issues. All these Summit County organizations have in some way been a positive force in assisting SMART clients when asked.
The Dillon Community Church immediately offered to assist with funding for the requested items, as they have on several previous occasions. They did not ask questions regarding why this man was a client or questions regarding his criminal history. They immediately assisted a county resident in need.
Funding now secured, Scott went about locating the needed items; two pairs of sweatpants for layering as requested by the client, and the boots.
One would think that in the middle of winter, a pair of men’s winter boots in size 9 would be any easy purchase. Not so in this case. As the month of March rapidly approached, larger retailers had turned their attention to spring sales. Mildly perplexed but undaunted, Scott walked through the door at the Columbia Store in the Silverthorne Outlets, introduced himself, and explained the situation. Not only did they have a pair of boots in the correct size, but they were also happy to accommodate his limited budget. Now set, Scott headed back to the SMART office at the Summit County Justice Center with the goods.
Scott’s next text message to his client reported that he had the needed boots and sweatpants, and could the client come to the Justice Center to pick them up? He also offered a nearly new and high-quality winter coat and hat donated by other community stakeholders. These were refused. They were not needed right now and should be kept for someone else. The client gratefully accepted the items he requested and offered a “God Bless you all.” After some conversation and a request to keep in touch, also gratefully accepted, the client was on his way, new winter boots and sweatpants all in the bag from the Columbia store.
In a nation demanding police reform, at times vehemently, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office has taken significant steps forward in a community-based response. A response which partners the unique abilities of the Deputies, Clinicians and Case Managers of the SMART Co-Responder program with the commitment of local government, municipalities, faith-based organizations, retailers, non-profit agencies, and professional service providers in a holistic approach to those in the community struggling with mental health issues. Recognizing that what is really needed is “response reform” when calls for assistance or intervention are determined to be mental health issues, and only tangentially criminally related, this rapidly expanding community partner-based approach is getting appropriate assistance to those in need and keeping them out of the already overloaded criminal justice system.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office along with the commitment of their partners are doing what they have always done and will continue to do—protect and serve the citizens of the county. Now, a new way forward in partnership with the community is making a difference, and perhaps saving lives, one pair of boots at a time.
In 2020, Summit County generated over 1000 calls for service with a mental health nexus. The SMART program either directly by response or indirectly through a referral administered every incident. SMART stabilized 219 clients in place. That stabilization meant that 219 productive members of the Summit County Community did not suffer any further trauma or loss by incurring medical expenses, loss of family, residence, job or pet. More than 250 clients received ongoing case management and services throughout the year. SMART made zero arrests and had no reported uses of force. SMART conducted over 150 mental health assessments resulting in only twenty mental health holds. SMART reached these achievements with one team deployed 40 hours a week. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons commented, “Implementation of the SMART Program has fundamentally changed policing in Summit County. Public safety and community partners have come to rely on the SMART Program when interacting with individuals with behavioral and mental health issues. I am confident that this strategy will continue to build trust between the Summit County community and their law enforcement partners.”
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office SMART Program can be reached at SMARTInfo@summitcountyco.gov or by calling 970-423-8922.