The Door County Sheriff’s Department has taken steps to be more aware of people’s mental well-being, and now they get to show those steps in the form of a title. The department formed a Mental Health and Community Engagement Deputy role and filled it with Deputy Chris Ott. The position is nothing Ott thought he would seriously consider until within this last year. It wasn’t until a week-long training on crisis intervention that the possibility of taking a role like this piqued his interest. 

Ott began the role on June 1st, and thinks it will be interesting to experience the new differences in his work. He will take on the role while maintaining patrol duties. The position is not one that is universally utilized, and Ott says he realized how essential the position can be after talking to people who’ve held similar posts. Ott adds that it’s important to realize not everyone is affected the same by each circumstance. 

As the leader of the department’s Crisis Intervention Team, Ott looks forward to building rapport with people in the community and learning their backgrounds. He notes that this could help him in certain high-stress situations involving these people. Much of the Door County Sheriff’s Department has experienced crisis intervention training, and Ott hopes one day the initiative expands. 

(Photo courtesy of the Door County Sheriff’s Department)