LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Leon County adopts a nationwide initiative with the goal of getting people with mental health issues, the help they need.
The "Stepping Up Day" resolution focuses on several key parts, including identifying the mental health population of the area, both in and out of jail, determining their needs, and addressing them.
Lt. Grady Jordan with the Leon County Sheriff's Office says often times, these people commit petit crime, not out of ill-will but as a call for help.
"At any given time, we have in our facility, anywhere from between 30 and 40 percent of our population has some type of mental health issues, so the objective of this initiative is to identify those individuals with mental health issues, get them the services and the programs they need before they commit the crime and end up in the detention facility," said Lt. Jordan.
Lt. Jordan also believes keeping the mentally ill out of the detention facility will save the county money.
