Following Police Shooting Of Mentally Ill Man, PERT Director Talks About Team’s Importance
The Psychiatric Emergency Response Team was handling another call and were unable to assist Alfred Olango. In the wake of the fatal encounter, San Diego County's PERT Director Mark Marvin speaks with KPBS about what his team does.
KPBS Public Media:
Director Talks About San Diego County PERT
A Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) was unable to aid Alfred Olango last week because, according to El Cajon police Chief Jeff Davis, the team was responding to another call and could not make it to the scene in time. There are 41 PERT teams in San Diego County. PERT Director Mark Marvin said more PERT teams would help because since 2009 there has been an 84 percent increase in mental health calls in San Diego County. In the same time period, the population has increased 5 percent. (Cavanaugh and Ruth, 10/3)
In other news from across the state —
Orange County Register:
Mite Specialist Tours Lake Forest Elementary To Determine Source Of Skin Irritations
In a continued effort to determine whether insects on campus are the cause of what appear to be welts and bug bites on students and staff members, the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District deployed a vector ecologist to Lake Forest Elementary School on Monday. Vector control spokesman Jared Dever said Steve Bennett, who has a specialty in mites and other biting arthropods, and a team of staff members went to the school around 10 a.m. to survey the campus.Dever said Bennett and the team planned to spend time around the fields and the adjacent portable buildings, the presumed hot spots for the outbreak. (Percy, 10/3)