In 2023, the Sugar Land Police Department responded to more than 3,000 calls for service that involved mental health concerns, overdoses, or suicide attempts. This is an increase from the previous year 2022, and still, the Sugar Land Police Department believes we are underreporting the actual number of mental health calls for service in both years referenced. This underreporting can occur when a mental health patient has committed a violent crime or other violation of the law, but the law enforcement contact is solely categorized in one of the various computer systems as a criminal offense and not a mental health call that also involved a violation of the law.

Marked patrol vehicles often create a negative stigma and increase the anxiety level of mental health consumers due to prior interactions with non-CIT trained officers. The unmarked nature of CIT-specific vehicles has been shown to have a calming effect on some mental health consumers when experiencing a crisis.

The Sugar Land Police Department currently has 7 Sworn crisis intervention officers and 1 crisis intervention administrator. There are plans to expand the Crisis Intervention Team with 1 additional CIT Administrator and 1 CIT Supervisor. The CIT officers are spread across all shifts to provide continuity of services to the community at all hours. 

On March 5, 2024, City Council approved Resolution No. 24-12 authorizing the submission of a grant application for the FY25 State Crisis Intervention Grant Program to fund projects that promote the prevention, intervention, and reduction of crime and violence and provide essential crisis services to at risk populations within the communities.

The Sugar Land Police Department has been awarded a grant in the amount of $171,920. This grant will fund the purchase of two specialty marked and outfitted vehicles for exclusive use by our newly formed Crisis Intervention Team as they serve the affected by mental health in our community. These vehicles would help us comply with the Health and Safety Code’s requirement that, when possible, mental health crisis consumers be transported in unmarked vehicles and would be the first two in an expanding fleet of vehicles specifically used for this purpose.

It is the recommendation of Staff that City Council approve Resolution No. 25-02 to accept the grant award in the amount of $171,920 and approve a budget amendment in the amount of $171,920 to revenues and expenditures.