Local Sheriff Wants To Create Unit To Help People With Mental Illness

Some Franklin County Sheriff's deputies could soon specialize in handling court orders requiring a person with mental health issues to get a psychological evaluation.  Sheriff Dallas Baldwin has unveiled plans to create a Crisis Intervention Diversion unit to work with mental health professionals to ensure people with problems get ongoing treatment and support.  The unit could be operational by spring. Baldwin says the number of court orders served this year is expected to exceed 13 hundred. 650 orders were served in 2015.