On April 25th Walton County Sheriff’s Office received an email from the sister of a man dealing with mental illness. “Yesterday a Walton County deputy, Deputy Steve Ellison, came out with EMS to my brother’s house. My brother is severely mentally ill and has several medical problems.”
Deputy Ellison was hired by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in May 2005. He was among the first to arrive at the home.
“My brother has been plagued by metal illness since his early 20’s and it has been a down hill fight due to the lack of medication success. He didn’t ask for it, he didn’t deserve it, but it happened to him and it has been a struggle for our family.”
Deputy Ellison along with all other deputies at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office have the opportunity to participate in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), which provides law enforcement-based training for assisting those individuals with a mental illness, and improves the safety of patrol officers, consumers, family members, and citizens within the community.
“My brother is very uncomfortable around others, especially strangers,” she wrote. “He was having a harder day than usual when Deputy Ellison came out.”
“Ellison was so great to my family. He was so patient and kind to my brother. When my brother was released from the hospital Deputy Ellison went back to check on him. He was actually able to get my brother to chat with him (he’s usually mostly non-verbal.)”
Deputy Ellison was also recognized in August of 2016 after he and Sergeant Chris Strawn defused a domestic violence incident that had the potential to become violent.
“He made my brother feel so comfortable and he actually tried to make an impact in his life despite what was happening. He gave my brother his number and said if he ever wanted to talk that he can call him. It was so kind and meant so much to all of us.”
A lot of times it has felt like it’s our family against the world because there is such a lack of education on mental illness. When this deputy came out he treated my brother like a human being.
For more information on Crisis Intervention Training visit:
