AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County deputies responded to more than 900 mental health calls last year, a nearly 30 percent increase compared to 2023, according to dispatch records.
Major Robert Silas, who oversees Special Operations at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, said law enforcement has become a default response when the mental health system has no room.
“Mental health is our biggest challenge,” Silas said.
‘Nowhere to go’
The city of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism will host the 18th annual Breakfast at the Gallops on Friday.
When someone in crisis is turned away from an emergency room or cannot be placed in a treatment facility, deputies are often the ones left to respond…