AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Harris County commissioners voted this week to expand a program that addresses behavioral health and social welfare issues in an effort to reduce law enforcement intervention.

Commissioners approved 16 new staff positions to support the county’s Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART) and Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone (RISE) programs. The unarmed, mobile crisis response units as part of the HART program will serve all unincorporated parts of the county, which includes Houston, as part of the expansion.

Jimmy Nguyen, a crisis intervention specialist and field supervisor for the county, said the HART program is about caring for people.

"We meet people on the worst days of their lives, and we stay with them through the journey," Nguyen said. "We're

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