5150 Powers Expanded in Santa Barbara County for Three-Month Pilot Project
For decades, Santa Barbara held the distinction of being the only county in California in which law enforcement officers were not empowered or auth...
For decades, Santa Barbara held the distinction of being the only county in California in which law enforcement officers were not empowered or authorized to issue 5150 holds on individuals they deemed to pose an imminent risk to either themselves or others. As of February 1, that's changing. Sort of. That date marks the start of a three-month pilot project approved to amass the data needed to determine what the impacts of such a change would be and if the actual need justified such an expansion of law enforcement power when dealing with people experiencing mental health crises.