When Palos Heights police responded recently to a report of a suspicious person, they found a victim of sex trafficking who was short circuiting over the abuse she had experienced.
Before Officer Joseph Carlson and two of his colleagues became part of the department’s Crisis Intervention Team, they might not have known how to recognize the mental health problems at work, or where to refer the individual for help.
Now, after seeing lives transformed through the Crisis Intervention Team program has led Carlson, a 17-year veteran of the Palos Heights department, to pursue a master’s degree in social work.
Since the program started in 2019 in conjunction with Trinity Services, Inc. in New Lenox, the team has responded to 100 to 150 potential crisis situations annually. Additional training on how to intervene has given members more tools to deal with what can be stressful interactions for police as well as people who might otherwise have been just considered suspects.
“I’ve always felt there was a need for more mental health interventions at the police level,” said Carlson, coordinator of the department’s program. “People would call the Police Department because of an emergency, but oftentimes there were other areas of need the person was experiencing and we didn’t have the tools to assist with that.”
Follow-up investigations may reveal a verbal argument with a teenager really started with a parent’s substance abuse.
“We just try to get to the root of the issue,” said Carlson. “Maybe the teen is stressed because of something going on with an older person in the family and maybe we need to get in touch with social service.”
The pandemic was another stressor.
“There’s a lot of stressors, certainly through COVID people lost a lot of their coping mechanisms, have regained some of them, but also picked up some poor ones along the way that aren’t serving them well,” Carlson said. “There are a lot of doctors and social service workers who have left the profession, as in retired, or left the state and that creates an increased case load for others.
“There’s also more awareness of the need for mental health services and more people looking for them, which creates a backload.”
Police are already trained to spot mental health issues, but with the Crisis Intervention Team they can contact a Trinity counselor 24 hours a day, and sometimes a counselor can even come to the scene.
The department also works with other social service agencies, including Never Alone Recovery/Nationwide Rehab Placement & Online Support Group, Families Anonymous, and Pathlights.
Other municipalities that work with Trinity on crisis intervention include Orland Park, Orland Hills, Tinley Park, Midlothian, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Frankfort and Mokena.
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Sgt. Richard Whalen, who coordinates the program for the Orland Park Police Department, the first municipality in the program, said it entailed listening, not rushing to judgment and referring to the right agency.
“Getting the resources they need is going to help everyone in the long run,” Whalen said.
Oak Lawn has partnered with the Cook County Sheriff’s Department’s Treatment Response Team and officers have iPads to contact mental health services. Oak Lawn police Chief Gerald Vetter said the program had boosted “de-escalation” and they’ve incorporated follow-up social service evaluations.
Palos Heights police Chief William Czakowski said the program has proved essential.
“Early on in the pandemic, we realized this is really becoming at the foreground of our profession,” Czakowski said. “A lot of the mental health facilities once offered to people in our community are no longer there.
“I think within our profession, we’re seeing more and more people in mental health crisis who either don’t have the resources or don’t know they’re suffering from mental health issues.”
The department also recently signed on to ID Visible, which offers decals to identify people with “invisible disabilities.” The program was developed by Justin Houcek, a volunteer ambassador with the Invisible Disabilities Association.
“Our officers encounter stuff like this often and not knowing what it is, this obviously would help if somebody has a decal at their home or in their car,” said Czakowski.
Other Illinois municipalities that have signed on to this program include Melrose Park, Homewood and Mt. Prospect.
“The reason I created ID Visible was so that police would be better prepared at a traffic stop,” said Houcek, who was diagnosed with autism 10 years ago at age 46. “I also believe ID Visible will help the person with the disability, as they can feel better knowing the police will have a better understanding of what they may have disability wise.”
The programs have not only helped people experiencing crisis, they’ve also helped responding officers, Carlson said.
“First responder wellness has been near and dear to my heart for years,” said Carlson. “High stress, lack of effective coping mechanisms and the stigma against reaching out for help oneself or their family has obstructed some first responders from seeking an outlet before life really got difficult for them.”
He said his department is supportive, with a wellness check-in and a peer support team.
“I believe my additional understanding helps bridge some gaps between social service agencies and a traditional law enforcement approach,” Carlson said.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.