In January, city officials disclosed some startling statistics about how mental health emergencies are handled in San Antonio. They revealed that a significant 54% of mental health-related 911 calls were managed by patrol officers or units outside the specialized San Antonio Police Department’s Mental Health Unit and the SA-CORE program, which stands for Community Outreach and Resiliency Effort.
When someone calls 911 and the operator detects a mental health issue, the first step is to dispatch a SA-CORE team—a collaboration of police officers, paramedics, and licensed mental health clinicians. Only after that do they consider sending the SAPD’s Mental Health Unit. However, the city’s own data shows that these specialized teams are not the primary responders in most mental health incidents.
Family Called 911 Six Times During Son’s Crisis
One heartbreaking case involved Vernard Moore and his son, Jon-Anthony. Vernard recalls the troubling signs leading up to Jon-Anthony’s mental health crisis. “We thought he was taking his medication, but he wasn’t. He just slowly went off track,” Vernard explained. By July 12, a family friend spotted Jon-Anthony near Interstate 35, panhandling. Concerned, Vernard followed his son for 16 hours as Jon-Anthony walked the same route, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees.
“He was darting through traffic and took off his shoes, his feet bleeding,” said Vernard. Desperate for help, he called SAPD’s non-emergency mental health number multiple times, in addition to six calls to 911. Despite these efforts, responding officers found Vernard holding his son down but classified the situation as a “fight” and left without providing the necessary intervention.
SAPD officers found Vernard Moore holding his son down July 12, but left the scene and labeled the call a “fight.” (KSAT)
Vernard pleaded with the officers to have Jon-Anthony detained for emergency help, but they deemed him uncooperative and left. “It just seemed like they didn’t even want to take the time to evaluate the situation,” he lamented.
Dr. Karliss Kimbrough (left) and Vernard Moore (right) told KSAT the city’s system to help people in a mental health crisis failed them. (KSAT)
Jon-Anthony’s grandmother, Dr. Karliss Kimbrough, expressed her heartbreak as they continued to observe their beloved family member suffer. “Nobody else came out. Nobody,” she said, emphasizing the failure of the system to provide help when it was most needed.
Mental Health Crisis Ends With Felony Arrest
The situation escalated further on July 13, when Jon-Anthony was arrested near the same area where Vernard had spotted him the day before. Police alleged that he attempted to grab an officer’s service weapon while handcuffed. After being checked at a hospital, Jon-Anthony was taken to the Bexar County jail.
Jon-Anthony’s family hopes the felony charge against him will eventually be dismissed, questioning whether the escalation could have been avoided with earlier intervention. “It was a rough moment for our whole family,” Vernard recalled, vowing to keep calling for help until someone responded appropriately.
Psychiatrist: SAPD Mental Health Unit Has ‘Always Been Overwhelmed’
Dr. Sarah Ansbro, a psychiatrist in San Antonio, shared insights about the challenges families face when dealing with mental health crises. She noted that families provide essential information to help police determine the need for emergency intervention. “I would love to see more reliance on family collateral information,” she stated.
Dr. Ansbro has witnessed the inadequacies of mental health resources within SAPD firsthand. “They’ve always been overwhelmed,” she remarked, highlighting the need for a collaborative approach to mental health emergencies.
San Antonio psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Ansbro. (KSAT)
Dr. Ansbro recounted her own experience when she called 911 for a family member with dementia. Initially, the officers were about to leave until she insisted on additional assistance. Eventually, an SA-CORE officer responded, but the situation highlighted the need for better resources and training.
Call Volume Exceeding Availability for Specialized Mental Health Officers
SA-CORE, now in its fifth year, is designed to respond
