In 2021, Crow Wing County experienced a dramatic increase in mental health calls to the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Scott Goddard sees this as a major concern and is still searching for a good solution to how to better handle the abundance of mental health calls.

It hasn’t even been a full two months into 2022, and Crow Wing County is already seeing data that suggests that the increase in mental health calls will continue to climb at a dramatic rate again this year. The Sheriff’s Office alone is currently averaging one call related to mental health issues a day. That average only includes the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, and not surrounding offices like the Brainerd and Baxter Police Departments.

Sheriff Goddard says that there is not full-proof plan set in place yet, but they have begun working closely with social service workers and are leaning into the idea of having mental health professionals work alongside officers on these mental health calls. The Sheriff’s Office also wants to reassure the community that they are here to help, and if you are dealing with a mental health issues, even though they are not experts, they will help anyway they can.

By — Ryan Bowler