Sheriff Elder will be recognized as the the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Advocate of the Year at NAMI's Eight Annual Fundraising Breakfast on Thursday, May 3, 2018, 7:30 AM, at the Broadmoor International Center, located at 21 Lake Circle in Colorado Springs.

Since being elected Sheriff in 2015, Bill Elder has shown a great commitment to ensuring his Office responds responds appropriately to mental health-related calls. Under Sheriff Elder, every Patrol and Detentions Deputy is completing eight-hour Mental Health First Aid training.

Four Deputies have gone through another week of training to become certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teachers. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office also sends Deputies through Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), a 40-hour program it organizes and manages with the Colorado Springs Police Department. 

Sheriff Elder has worked with El Paso County Public Health to secure a grant bringing a “Co-Responder” policing model to rural and unincorporated areas of the county. Beginning in July of 2018, Elder’s Office will be able to respond to mental health-related calls with a special team that includes a mental health professional.

"Addressing mental health issues is a priority for the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.  Mental health issues affect every aspect of law enforcement from encounters on the street through to incarceration.  I am committed to making sure our workforce is well prepared to respond and deal with the segment of our population."
~Sheriff Bill Elder