McHenry County Sheriff’s Office social workers ready to aid police on calls where ‘extra tool’ is needed

McHenry County police chiefs said the number of police calls involving mental health crises is on the rise in recent years and welcomed the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office social worker program that kicked off last week.

“Social workers enable police officers to have a resource that goes outside the boundaries of the police scope,” said Lakewood Police Chief Mike Roth, whose department is of one of 17 participating. “Through their contacts, we will both be able to resolve many issues. This is a good program as the [number] of calls dealing with mental illness are going up.”

The program adds “a new tool to the toolbox” for police officers, said McHenry County Sheriff’s Sgt. Aimee Knop, the program’s director.

Whereas police officers respond to emergency calls and handle criminals with guns and handcuffs, the social workers – educated and trained in helping people struggling emotionally and mentally – will assist where it is suspected a mental health issue is at play, Knop said.

As of mid-June, 17 of the 26 police agencies dispatched in McHenry County, plus the sheriff’s office, have opted in for a two-year commitment. The cost of the program ranges between $1,000 and $35,000 based on the population the agency serves. Funding for the program is provided by the McHenry County Mental Health Board, the McHenry County Board and participating police departments, Knop said.

The sheriff’s office houses and administers the countywide social worker program, department spokeswoman Emily Matusek said. The office also supports the program through additional personnel, vehicles and equipment.

Other departments including McHenry, Huntley and Lake in the Hills, who have their own social workers or other mental health professionals on staff, have not joined the sheriff’s office program.

In April, the McHenry Police Department hired its first, full-time social services coordinator, a position similar to the county’s social workers.

“When weighing the benefits of an in-house program versus a shared program, we felt strongly that in-house was our way to go,” Police Chief John Birk said at the time. “Every community and its residents can have different needs and priorities from other communities. Having an in-house program provides us the ability to constantly review and revise the program based on our community needs.”

The Huntley Police Department hired Meghan Mumenthal as its in-house, full-time social worker in January and her hiring has been “a great success” so far, Huntley Deputy Chief Linda Hooten said.

Mumenthal, who will collaborate with the county’s program, has worked closely with various organizations regarding mental health issues and other ongoing issues where she can be of service, Hooten said. She also provides in-house training for officers on mental health topics, has participated in community events, and serves as a great resource for the department and community.

Since hiring for the county program began earlier this year, the county has hired three new social workers, bringing the total to four, Knop said. Each will be assigned a group of police agencies, and two more social workers will be added at a later time.

Social workers are in the process of learning their assigned areas and the culture within the departments, said Sydney Kunz and Amy Kristufek, two of the newly hired social workers.

When on scene, the social worker approaches with the goal of de-escalating the situation, acting as a bridge connecting those involved in the call to mental health and other social services, said Knop and Alana Bak, the program’s clinical supervisor who has worked as a social worker with the sheriff’s office for five years.

Kristufek, who has a master’s degree in mental health counseling, 15 years of experience as a crisis worker and is married to a retired police officer, said her approach to the calls she will be going out on will be different with each situation.

“The help I provide depends on a variety of situations,” she said. “You want to meet people where they are at in a crisis.”

During the calls and in the days, weeks and months following, social workers will continue reaching out to the person in need. They work with them to see their way to such services as domestic battery shelters, mental health counselors, food banks or whatever that person or family may need, Knop and Bak said.

Whatever the trigger for the police call, with a social worker present during that time of crisis, that person is more likely to connect with the help they need, Knop and Bak said. The social worker responding with the police officer treats the call as an extra “window of opportunity” to engage and identify the problem, Bak said.

“It can be overwhelming for people in crisis to navigate the situation and connect with the help they need,” Bak said. “There are so many different systems to help people navigate through. With this program, we can walk them through that.”

In some cases, the person in crisis may not know where to turn for help, counseling, or services, Knop said. They may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Officers being assisted with their mental health is something Woodstock Deputy Police Chief Ray Lanz said he particularly welcomes in addition to the support on calls.

“Police officers are regularly involved in critical incidents and maintain chronic hyper-vigilance throughout their careers,” Lanz said. “The police social worker program is another resource available for officers who may be in need of outside assistance in coping with the stressors of the profession.”

Bak was on-site with the sheriff’s office, Algonquin police and a SWAT team last year during a nine-hour long stake out at the Holiday Inn in Algonquin, trying to coax out a Chicago man from the hotel wanted on a felony warrant.

Bak said she attempted to talk to the man, who refused to talk to anyone or open his door, and provided support to the police officers. The standoff ended when police deployed oleoresin capsicum spray, better known as pepper spray, into the man’s room.

Bak referred to herself in that scenario as “one more tool in the toolbox” and one more layer of support in a “long, high-stress situation.”

“I just wanted to be there for them,” Bak said.

Both Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black and Algonquin Police Chief John Bucci, whose departments entered into two-year contracts with the sheriff’s office, said they are “excited” to be a part of the program.

“Often law enforcement has repeat contact with individuals due to mental health issues. By having a social worker program, it allows for those in need to be offered services and/or assistance that may address the mental health issue. [This help] will assist the individual in the future,” Bucci said in an email. “Social workers can be used to assist with many different calls, domestic violence, substance abuse, hoarding, mental health – and for those that are caring for individuals suffering from mental health issues.”

It remains to be seen whether someone suffering from a severe mental health issue, who refuses that assistance, will benefit from the program, Black said. And it remains to be seen how this will “ease any burden on law enforcement to effectively deal with the situation in a positive manner.”

Crystal Lake is among area departments that have seen an increase in calls for people experiencing mental health crises, Black said.

Historically social and mental health services are among the first things to be cut in state budgets, he said. Given this, those suffering with mental health illnesses do not have the services they need and more of this responsibility falls on police departments, he said.

“Crystal Lake police officers are trained in CIT [Crisis Intervention Team], de-escalation, mental health first aid and autism, in addition, to other training dealing with individuals suffering a mental health crisis,” Black said. “We are not social workers or psychologist though. I believe there needs to be funding provided on a state and federal level to better provide outpatient and inpatient treatment care options for these individuals.”