- March 3, 2025
A suicidal teenager. A depressed woman with a gun. A bipolar man threatening his neighbors. Every time the Sheriff’s Office responds to a Baker Act call to detain a resident who is struggling with mental health issues and is deemed a threat to himself or others, a deputy on duty is taken off road patrol for two to three hours, leaving the remaining deputies with more ground to cover. And these calls come in twice per day on average in Flagler County.
“There’s a real mental health issue that needs to be dealt with,” said Flagler County Undersheriff Rick Staly. “But the other side of that is the resources it takes for us to handle Baker Acts. It takes limited resources and makes them even more limited.”
More often than not, Staly said, Baker Act calls lead to a deputy transporting the man or woman to Halifax Hospital, the nearest approved location. Once there, deputies must fill out proper paperwork before returning to Flagler County — and the entire time, they are away from Flagler County streets. On Aug. 14, there were three such calls.
“Here’s the impact: We only have 1.3 deputies per 1,000 residents as it is, so it’s an understaffed agency to begin with,” Staly said. The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommend 2.5 deputies per 1,000 residents.
“Depending on the time of day, there are anywhere from 12 to 18 deputies on the road,” Staly continued. “It’s a domino effect: If you take one deputy out of his zone to respond, then the deputy in the adjacent zone has to handle both zones, spreading them thin.”
Several years ago, the Sheriff’s Office hired two part-time transport officers whose sole purpose is to take people who need to be moved — such as those being admitted as Baker Act patients — to their respective locations. But Staly is unconvinced that this is an efficient use of resources.
It is impossible to predict when Baker Act calls will come in, so assigning on-duty hours to these officers is a gamble, Staly said.
Instead, he is speaking with representatives from Halifax Hospital about the potential for contracting a transportation service. He hopes that an arrangement with the hospital will not only increase public safety by keeping more deputies on the road, but also will increase the mental health services offered to Flagler County residents.
But, Staly said, this is only a short-term solution. Ideally, Flagler County would one day have its own Baker Act receiving center, but that would prove costly.
A shortage of funding
Mental health services are not heavily funded in most communities, and Flagler County is no different. Often, mental health grants from the state are short-lived. For instance, a mental health jail diversion grant awarded to the Stewart Marchman Act Behavioral Healthcare is set to expire soon.
The three-year, $450,000 grant funded a program that made sure that people identified by law enforcement as risks stayed on their medication and other mental health support needed. Stewart Marchman Act employees would visit the homes of those enrolled in the program, take them to doctors’ appointments and bring them medication.
With the loss of funding comes the loss of two positions and the ability for staff to make home visits to those enrolled in the program — people who are identified as risks for future incarceration.
But, “even though the funding is going to go away, we will do our best to continue to serve these clients,” said Chet Bell, CEO of Stewart Marchman Act Behavioral Healthcare. Remaining staff will monitor clients currently enrolled in the program, although they won't be able to visit clients. The change places more responsibility in the hands of those in need of assistance, Bell said.
Arrests for those enrolled in the program decreased by about 77% after diversion efforts were directed at them, according to data from Stewart Marchman Act.
Bell estimates that the program, which serves a maximum of 27 clients, could be continued in its current state at a cost of $75,000 to $80,000 a year, but recognizes that such funding would be difficult to find — which is a step backward, he said.
“Our program really achieved its goal in seeing that the people we serve are treated in the mental health system and not the justice system,” Bell said. “The problem with an underfunded community mental health system is that our lack of funding is directly proportional to increased interaction with and increased use of the justice system.”
Staly agrees a new solution is needed.
“I’m not convinced that our current transport system is the most efficient use of resources,” Staly said. “We have a limited number of resources, so we need to find the best way to stretch them.”
The Baker Act in Flagler County
The Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, which is more commonly called the Baker Act, is a statute that allows for involuntary detainment and medical examination of individuals who suffer from mental illness and are determined a threat to themselves or to others.
|
Number of Baker Act calls for service in Flagler |
|
|
July 14 to Aug. 14 |
21 |
|
Jan. 1 to Aug. 14 |
297 |
|
2012 |
489 |
|
2011 |
479 |
|
2010 |
551 |
|
2009 |
740 |
|
2008 |
583 |
