Hello, Clarendon County citizens. It has been a while, but I’m back with another topic, and I hope the information I’m writing about will be insightful and informative.
The topic is mental health. After working in law enforcement for the past 23 years, I have seen up close and personal individuals who are not getting the proper treatment for a very real and growing problem. One reason is because family members who want to help don’t know what to do or even where to start. Another reason is the person with the mental issue is not severe enough or doesn’t say the “key words” when evaluated by a doctor, not giving the doctor sufficient justification to do the paperwork needed to transport him/her to a mental facility.
If you have someone in your family or know of someone who suffers from mental issues, and you believe that person needs help, go to your local mental health facility and speak with a counselor. Explain to that person what exactly the mentally ill person is doing or has done to cause you concern. The reasons you give need to clearly show the person is a danger to themselves or to others. Just the fact that they may dress funny or say strange things isn’t enough. They have to exhibit or say things that make you strongly feel someone else or they themselves are in danger.
After you give the counselor the proper information, they should issue you an affidavit. Personnel from the mental health office would then take the affidavit to the probate judge, and that office will sign and issue a pick-up order to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office would then send an officer to locate the individual, and once they have located the person on the pick-up order, they would transport them to the local hospital to be evaluated by a doctor.
If the doctor evaluates the person and determines they are in fact mentally ill, he would type up paperwork, find a treatment center and have the person committed there for additional treatment. However, if the doctor determines the person is not mentally ill, they will be released upon the completion of the examination.
Usually a pick-up order has a shelf life of 72 hours. If the person on the pick-up order is not found in that time frame, the process has to be done again. This is just a basic explanation of the process. There are other factors and moving parts, but that is another article for another day.
I hope this article is helpful and will at least get you pointed in the right direction should any of you have the need for this service. As always, Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office is here to protect, serve and inform. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you need our assistance.
Sincerely,
Captain Danny Graham
Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office
