Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, along with Department of Mental Health personnel, unveiled a new fleet of therapeutic transport vehicles Monday morning.

Numerous Mental Evaluation Teams (MET) are expected to utilize these vehicles throughout the County of Los Angeles for calls of service involving individuals with mental health issues, according to Barger’s office.  

“I am eager to unveil a fleet of new vehicles designed to ensure the highest standard of care to those in need of service,” Barger said in a press conference Monday. 

These vehicles are a “crucial” piece of equipment for law enforcement to assist with the transportation of individuals to mental health facilities and are expected to help reduce long waiting periods for the transport of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, according to Sheriff’s officials. 

“It is important for us to recognize that someone with mental illness is not a criminal and deserves, and needs, support and care necessary,” Barger said. 

The MET team is a growing program in the LASD which consists of about 26 teams — one plain-clothed deputy and one clinical psychologist — to tackle the growing issue of mental health.

“Mental health is the future of policing,” said Sgt. Brandon Barclay, who oversees the north patrol division in a previous story. “You can’t just focus on the problem, you have to be solution-oriented.”

See Related: ‘Future Of Policing’: How The LASD Incorporates Mental Health

The MET deputies receive hundreds of hours of additional training, including an FBI negotiation course, which sharpens their skills in the event of a crisis.

“These aren’t your ‘typical’ deputies,” Barclay said. “Along with the psychologist, they are specially trained to assist those who have a mental illness.”

The team arrives at a scene in an unmarked patrol car, wearing a polo and khakis, which is designed to have an impact on how they are perceived by a person in distress, according to Barclay.

The new SUVs are equipped with a removable portable desk platform for use in the front seat by a clinician, according to the LASD. 

These vehicles are expected to feature several components to help ensure the well-being of the individual. The goal was for patients to not see metal bars and to avoid the look of a mobile jail environment while still preserving security, according to Sheriff’s officials.

“It is important. When you look at the statistics for the mental evaluation teams when they come in contact with individuals, the percentage going into our jails at one point was less than 1 percent,” Barger said. “That means these individuals are getting the help they need and are not ending up incarcerated.”

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