COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM THE SHERIFF’S COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM (CAT)
enforcement agent. The priorities in 2021 focused on supporting the Stepping Up Initiative by the following actions: reducing recidivism of those suffering from mental illness, finding appropriate alternatives to jail, as well as assisting the target population with connections to resources during the
is staffed by two sheriff’s deputies
global pandemic.
and one deputy probation officer III.
The Sheriff’s CAT Unit received
The Sheriff’s CAT specializes in the
referrals and calls for service from
unsheltered population and with
several community partners including
community members suffering from
family members, non-profit agencies,
mental illness throughout the entire
law enforcement officers, dispatch,
San Luis Obispo County with one
and the San Luis Obispo (SLO) County
collaterally assigned CAT deputy at
Jail staff. The ongoing goals are to
Sheriff’s South Station, Coast
reduce the number of bookings into jail
Station, and North Station.
of community members who suffer from a mental illness. The next goals
The Sheriff’s CAT units have
are to engage this population in
partnered with the County
treatment and coordinate an appropri-
Behavioral Health Department to
ate level of care. These actions and
create a co-responding model to meet the needs of the target population. These co-responding Behavioral Health Community Action Teams (BHCAT) consist of a behavioral health technician and a law
44
goals are completed through collaboration with Judges, Board of Supervisors, District Attorney’s Office, Public Defenders Office, SLO County Jail, Behavioral Health Department, and community partners.
HIGHLIGHTS Serving Unsheltered Population The BHCAT and CAT Units adjusted their normal protocols to adhere to COVID-19 safety measures put in place to serve the unsheltered population while prioritizing these community members’ health and safety. The BHCAT and CAT Units worked with the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to reach out to the unsheltered population in hard-toreach areas in order to check on their health and offer appropriate resources. The CAT Unit worked with the EOC to identify vital services and shelters that are essential to this population and that needed to stay open during this restrictive time. One of these vital services was keeping the warming center in North County open for the unsheltered population. The units prioritized the cleaning up of camps in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Los Osos, and Nipomo to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
