The dona ANA sheriff's office (daso) requests federal funding to expand access to evidence-based DE-escalation and crisis response training that promotes safe outcomes during police encounters with…

The Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services awarded the County of Dona Ana $350,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710) to expand evidence-based de-escalation and crisis response training for the Dona Ana Sheriff's Office.

The project implements comprehensive training across five focus areas: de-escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force, safe response to individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises, safe encounters with individuals with disabilities, crisis intervention team participation, and effective referrals to community-based services. The training enhances the sheriff's office's existing New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy-certified program by adding specialized evidence-based modules with defined learning objectives and scenario-based components that include pre- and post-assessments to measure effectiveness.

The project establishes two primary goals. Goal 1 increases deputy competency in recognizing and safely responding to mental health crises, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and sensory impairments. Goal 2 creates a specialized group of advanced-trained deputies who will prioritize mental health calls for service, assess individuals for referrals to community-based services, make referrals, monitor outcomes, assist in creating multidisciplinary teams, report at team meetings, and serve as liaisons between the multidisciplinary team and the department.

Work is performed in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027.

The dona ANA sheriff's office (daso) requests federal funding to expand access to evidence-based DE-escalation and crisis response training that promotes safe outcomes during police encounters with persons in crisis. This project directly addresses the cops office's safer outcomes program goal by implementing comprehensive training that spans all five focus areas: DE-escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force, safely responding to individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises, safe encounters with individuals with disabilities, successfully participating on crisis intervention teams, and making effective referrals to community-based services. This project enhances daso's existing new mexico law enforcement academy-certified training program by adding specialized evidence-based modules with clearly defined learning objectives. Goal 1 increases deputy's competency in recognizing and safely responding to mental health crises, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other sensory impairments through scenario-based training that includes pre- and post-assessments to measure learning effectiveness. Goal 2 improves response protocols by establishing a specialized group of advanced-trained deputies that will prioritize mental health calls when calls for service allow, assess for referrals, make referrals, monitor calls for service on individuals, assist in creating the MDT, report on individuals at MDT meetings, and serve as liaisons between MDT and the department to inform deputies about known individuals and situations requiring attention. Through this comprehensive training enhancement, daso will achieve measurable improvements in crisis response effectiveness while building community trust and reducing justice system burden. The project's integration of advanced DE-escalation techniques with collaborative community partnerships will create lasting systemic change that extends beyond the grant period, establishing daso as a model for rural border communities facing similar challenges. Key deliverables include enhanced training curriculum, documented policies and procedures, measurable reductions in use-of-force incidents, and increased successful diversions to community-based care services.