ORLANDO, Fla. – Following its review of a July 2023 fatal officer-involved shooting involving the Orlando Police Department (OPD), the Orange County grand jury has issued recommendations aimed at improving OPD’s Community Response Team (CRT).

On July 14, 2023, two officers responded to an apartment building in the 12000 block of Pioneers Way for a caller who was reportedly intoxicated by alcohol, armed with a knife and threatening to harm herself or any police officer who was sent to intervene. Officers fatally shot Rachael Ellis, 32, when she charged at them with two knives.

After the grand jury reviewed testimony and evidence, they concluded the officers acted lawfully in using deadly force against Ms. Ellis and no charges were filed. However, they requested further testimony about OPD’s CRT.

The CRT uses mental health clinicians working as contractors with the City of Orlando to respond to residents experiencing a mental or behavioral crisis. The grand jury released a presentment offering the following recommendations for the CRT:

Explore Co-Response Models: They suggested looking into a system where CRT members work alongside officers. This could help manage dangerous situations more safely while still providing essential mental health support.

Increase Resources and Staffing: The grand jury highlighted that the current CRT setup, with contracted clinicians and limited hours, may not meet the city’s needs. They recommended providing additional financial resources to expand the team and possibly bringing clinicians on as city employees to improve service availability.

Adjust Operational Practices: They also proposed considering using plainclothes officers and unmarked vehicles to reduce the potential for escalating crises due to the visible presence of uniformed officers.

The grand jury commended OPD for researching and developing the CRT to address mental health crises law enforcement officers encounter every day and said it only hopes to keep officers and the community safer with these recommendations.

OPD stated it is actively working to improve its CRT and find additional ways to integrate mental health support into police operations to better serve the Orlando community.

We thank the grand jury for their time and attention to this case. It is now officially closed.

Click here to view the grand jury’s full presentment.