Mission Statement
“To seize opportunities to engage with individuals and families experiencing behavioral health needs by providing prevention and follow-up support, education, self-advocacy, diversion opportunities, and warm hand-offs to appropriate community referral partners.”
The City of DeSoto and the DeSoto Police Department proudly introduce the DeSoto Crisis Assessment Resource Engagement Team (CARE Team), a community - based behavioral health support team. The DeSoto CARE Team is an interdisciplinary team comprised of a mental health police officer, social worker, clinician, medical support person, and victims ’ assistance. The team ’ s focus is on providing support and referral to individuals experiencing mental health and substance use/abuse challenges. DeSoto CARE Team members do not respond to 9 - 1 - 1 calls, but are instead devoted to intervening before and after a crisis in order to lessen the need for emergency police response, unnecessary hospitalizations and the criminalization of those with behavioral health needs. Lieutenant Melissa Franks is the founder and Unit Coordinator of the DeSoto CARE Team. In late 2020 she applied for the New Directions Grant from Dallas County to help support this team and a regional expansion. In spring of 2021, Dallas County awarded $1.8 million dollars to realize the expansion of this team to include the cities of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Lancaster, and Glenn Heights, beginning in May 2022. This regional task force will provide staffing, equipment, and mental health & de - escalation police training for the Regional CARE Team. The team will office in a central location, allowing for maximum team synergy and professional creativity to engage individuals in need and their families/support systems. In 2021, Lt. Melissa Franks was honored to be the recipient of the “ Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award ” from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Texas. The award, given for “ visionary leadership in improving legislation, laws, and conditions of the mental health arena, ” recognized the work of Lt. Franks and the progressive efforts of the DeSoto CARE Team.
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