Perry County Sheriff’s Department displays new suicide prevention decals on vehicles

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (KBSI) – The Perry County Sheriff’s Office recently joined the Community Counseling Center Foundation in support of Mental Health Awareness Month during May, displaying a yard sign which reads, “It’s okay to not be okay.”

The sheriff’s office continues to support mental health awareness by displaying the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on the rear of their new patrol cars.

“We spend a lot of time on behavioral health related calls, and this will free up some of our free available resources, to do some other proactive investigations,” said Perry County Sheriff Jason Klaus.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned to a call or text 988 option on July 16, 2022 as a free and confidential service for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, and other mental health crises. Lexi Clark, the Community Behavioral Health liaison, says helping people in this way is the most rewarding experience.

“Anything that’s behavioral health needs, I’m there for them,” said Community Behavioral Health Liaison Lexi Clark. “Because this is going to kind of help with, just streamlining people directly to a crisis line.”

The sheriff’s department will continue to promote the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline on their new patrol cars and work with community services to best serve the citizens of perry county when in crisis.

“Everybody can benefit from 988,” said Sheriff Klaus. “If you know that you or a loved one or have a loved on that’s in crisis, you can call 988 and ask for some localized resources.”