Criminal Justice IG Report April 2026
Our March speaker was Wes Albers from PERT, the San Diego Psychiatric Emergency Response Team which pairs licensed mental health clinicians with law enforcement officers to respond to mental health crises. Operating from 6 AM to midnight, these teams de-escalate situations, provide on-scene assessments, and connect individuals with services, reducing unnecessary arrests. PERT also has a few special teams that are devoted to working with unhoused individuals. These teams have a person whose specialty is finding housing for those who need it along with the other two.
Our group will continue to focus this year on our San Diego County Jails but with an emphasis on Behavioral Health in the Jails. This will include Behavioral Health diversions that would keep more people out of the jail to begin with. With that in mind, our speaker at our April meeting will be a speaker from MCRT (Mobile Crisis Response Team). This team does not have a law enforcement officer as part of the team and so they are sent to situations where violence is not expected.
Please join us for this presentation at our April 8 zoom meeting at 12:30. You can find the link when you go to the League calendar on the LWVSD website: https://lwvsandiego.org/