Orange County has expanded its behavioral health crisis diversion program, routing non-violent mental health 911 calls through the Sheriff's dispatch system to licensed clinicians instead of sending deputies to the door.

Under the expanded protocol announced by the OC Sheriff's Department on July 22, any behavioral health-related 911 call that involves no crime and no safety threat will be transferred to an OC Links clinician. No deputies respond.

The program launched as a pilot in March 2024. Since then, approximately 240 calls have been diverted through the Sheriff's system.

Newport Beach residents should know an important distinction: the automatic 911 diversion applies to calls handled by the Sheriff's dispatch, which serves unincorporated areas and contract cities. Newport Beach has its own police department and its own dispatch system. NBPD has not announced whether it will adopt the same protocol for its calls.

That said, any Newport Beach resident can bypass 911 entirely and reach OC Links directly at (855) 625-4657, any day of the year, at any hour. Clinicians on the line can connect callers with prevention resources, treatment options, or urgent support, and can send a mobile crisis team when needed.

"Individuals in crisis who pose no threat to the community do not need law enforcement coming to their door," Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes said in the announcement. "They need trained behavioral health clinicians who are better equipped to get them help."

The Sheriff's Department said the rationale behind clinician-led response is that uniforms and sirens can heighten anxiety for someone in a behavioral health crisis, making escalation more likely and follow-up care less likely.

Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Katrina Foley, who represents the 5th District including Newport Beach, said the expansion helps ensure residents in crisis receive medical care while freeing deputies to focus on crime prevention and emergencies requiring law enforcement.

The Sheriff's Department handles roughly 10,000 mental health-related calls per year. Countywide, OC Links fielded more than 43,789 calls and chats and dispatched more than 10,862 mobile crisis responses in 2025, according to the OC Health Care Agency.

The Sheriff's Department's Behavioral Health Bureau teams continue to deploy alongside the Health Care Agency's Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams for situations involving homelessness and ongoing behavioral health crises.

Newport Beach residents who want to reach OC Links can call (855) 625-4657. The line is staffed by licensed clinicians 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.