After receiving a $20 million grant, the County of Monterey was set to convert the old county jail into a mental health facility; however, current Sheriff Tina Nieto has made new plans.
“A lot of people think that as police officers, all we’re doing is enforcing, enforcing, enforcing,” explained Michael Bruno, the department’s assistant chief of police. “But that MDOT team and that Monterey Community Action Team, working together, have done some really incredible things that you would never think a police department would do. And also the partnership that we’ve had with the service providers, I think has really made a positive impact on the community.”