TECRT Director Michael Dikovitsky and fellow TECRT volunteers at a seminar in Dallas last month. Courtesy photo 

When tragedy strikes — whether it’s a police shooting, a suicide, a mass casualty event or a devastating natural disaster — first responders rush toward the scene. But once the sirens fade and the immediate danger passes, someone is still needed to help the helpers.

For Michael Dikovitsky, a retired Dallas police officer and former federal agent who lives in Wylie, that realization became clear after he left law enforcement.

While conducting national security investigations, Dikovitsky said he encountered people in severe distress who had no trusted outlet for support, and some ultimately took their own lives. He came to believe there needed to be someone they felt safe enough to call — not to replace mental health care, which he said is vital, but to offer immediate, personal connection.

That conviction led him to form the Texas Emergency Crisis Response Team, or TECRT, in 2010, with a broad mix of professionals because “some people simply need someone to talk to.” 

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