www.GoodMorningGwinnett.com Gwinnett County sheriff's deputies handle arrest warrants and help catch bad guys in the county, but the Sheriff's Office is looking to tackle another issue facing the Gwinnett County community: mental health.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Keybo Taylor announced the creation of a new Mental Health Task Force. The task force is meant to serve as an intermediary force, helping people experiencing mental health issues get assistance rather than simply locking them up in the county jail.

"The MHTF Deputies will undergo extensive training in areas such as crisis intervention/de-escalation skills, recognition of mental illnesses, personality disorders, psychopathy, and other pertinent subjects," the Sheriff's Office said in an announcement. "The team will respond to mentally ill individuals in the community who are presenting in an acute crisis symptomatic of severe mental illness rather than overt criminality. The MHTF team will provide essential support to fellow metropolitan law enforcement agencies, and our Gwinnett County judicial system as well as mental health treatment organizations that serve our community."

SOURCE: www.GwinnettDailyPost.com