Brazos County Sheriff Deputy highlights impact of Crisis Negotiation Team

The Brazos County Sheriff's Office has a Crisis Negotiations Team dedicated to handling situations that deal with mental health.

• According to studies , as of 2024, 57.8 million adults have a mental illness.
• Deputies Emilee Smith, Clayton Leeth, and Nicholas Alo are the newest members of the Crisis Negotiations Team.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

"It's very rewarding as a human being to help somebody in their worst moment and helping them resolve the situation," Public Information Officer, Deputy Dennis said.

The Crisis Negotiation team has been a major part of the Brazos County Sheriff's Office for almost 15 years.

"Here at the Sheriff's Office, the sheriff and the administration know that this is a very important asset for the agency," Dennis said.

And recently welcomed 3 new members.

'We selected three new members, and that would be Emilee Smith and Clayton Leeth and Nicholas Alo, all showed that they could effectively communicate and have a passion for truly helping people," Dennis said.

This group specializes in psychological, mental, and emotional situations and are trained in how to deal with them.

"That's something that is very important for a negotiator, is to be able to connect with somebody," Dennis said.

Deputy Nathan Dennis told 15 ABC that the crisis team is usually only needed a couple of times a year, but they are always prepared when trouble calls.

"We prepare for the worst and, you know, that we're glad that that doesn't happen on a daily basis or whenever, how often it happens," he said

"I've actually negotiated several times in these incidents, and I'm thankful that everything has ended in a positive manner."

Deputy Dennis told 15 ABC these new members willingly stepped up to handle this new role.

And that he takes pride in knowing we have neighbors in the community here to help with these special situations.

"Being part of this team is an added skill and assignment that these individuals are taking upon themselves, outside of their normal course of duties," Dennis said

"it makes me proud to live in a community that has a team like this and that we understand the importance of having the ability to de-escalate and make sure that the situation is resolved peacefully."