CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There's a new officer on the streets, and this one is a certified "mental health deputy."
It is part of Nueces County's jail diversion plan that will use deputies such as Carolina Rosales with the Nueces County Precinct 2 Constables Office to help residents get the help they need in order to avoid the prison system.
"We have a lot of the community's help," Rosales said. "They call in calls you know, for peoples' safety and sometimes we track them down and sometimes we don't."
Rosales is in charge of handling emergency calls all across the county. She will be paired with a mental health expert so that both can arrive at scenes to try and keep situations from escalating.
"Talking to them in a respectful way. Talking them down instead of instigating, you know? Trying to overpower someone," Rosales said. "They don't really like being overpowered, so we de-escalate the situation. Get them calmed down."
Precinct 2 Constable Jason McCahan said that making sure residents understand exactly what the program is can make all the difference in its effectiveness; which is why he created a livestream on TikTok so his followers could listen to its benefits.
"This gives us the ability to go talk to them," McCahan said. "Hey, would you like some help? If so, what can we do to help. Or, they want to get back in meds. So, we have the resources to put them in the right direction finally, and I think it's going to be great for the community."
McCahan is hoping to eventually have all of his deputies trained and certified to handle similar calls.
Officials said the jail diversion program might soon put four more deputies just like Rosales on area streets to help those who are in a crisis.
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