Joliet police help veterans in crisis with Battle Buddy program

The Joliet Police Department offers a program called Battle Buddy to help veterans in a crisis.

Through the program, Joliet police officers who are also veterans respond to emergency calls regarding a veteran or provide assistance to veterans who are dealing with mental health issues or other problems.

Many times, the officers are giving veterans someone they can talk to.

“We’re there more to be an empathetic ear to them,” said Joliet Police Officer Chad Evans, who came up with the idea for the program. “We signed the same contract they signed. They came back with extra baggage that they didn’t leave with.”

Evans, who served in the U.S. Army Reserve, said the police noticed in 2016 an uptick in calls regarding despondent or suicidal veterans, many of them dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries or military sexual trauma.

The Battle Buddy program was created as a result. Officers not only help veterans with mental health issues but also with housing, transportation, substance abuse treatment and counseling.

Battle buddy is a term used in the Army to describe soldiers who are paired with other soldiers to watch out for one another.

Joliet Police Officer Jeremiah Eaton, a U.S. Marines veteran, said officers who have a military background can relate to veterans “a little bit differently” than those who do not.

“Just from having a Marine talk to another Marine or a soldier talk to another solider, it may benefit them a little bit more to open up to us a little bit better,” Eaton said. “Because we all want the same outcome and that’s the safety of the individual.”

Evans said officers in the program help distraught veterans by bringing them into a “better state of mind” and try to “get them whatever type of help they need right now.” The officers participating in the program have been through crisis intervention training, he said.

“Our main goal is to get them safe at the time and then work on everything else from there,” Evans said.

Officers typically help veterans find local resources beyond the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, such as the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission, Orland Park Vet Center and Hope Manor Joliet.

“It’s not that the VA isn’t trying to do everything that they can, it’s not that they VA doesn’t care, it’s just that the VA is overwhelmed,” Evans said.

Evans said he heard of one veteran who went to a VA office and broke down crying for help.

“They let him talk to somebody for 10 minutes and gave him an appointment to come back four months later,” he said.

Evans said the Veterans Assistance Commission, or the VAC, has been “hugely instrumental” in helping veterans. Their office is located at 2400 Glenwood Ave. in Joliet.

Kristi McNichol, VAC superintendent, said the Battle Buddy program is like a “mentorship program.”

“It’s awesome. It definitely saves lives,” McNichol said.

Joliet police Sgt. Chris D’Arcy, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, said the focus of Battle Buddy is not always on mental health but also veterans who are charged with crimes and go through the criminal justice system.

“We try to get in there when vets commit crimes to try and reduce that recidivism rate, which is just going to help out our community anyways in the long run,” D’Arcy said.

Evans said officers will exchange phone numbers with veterans and follow up with them.

D’Arcy said he’s given his phone number out to many veterans.

“Sometimes you get calls that are just, ‘Hey, I need someone to talk to for five minutes, that’s it,’” D’Arcy said. “And if that’s all they need in that moment, I’d be happy to give them more than that.”

He said even if a veteran lives outside Joliet, they’re welcome to contact officers in the Battle Buddy program.

Evans described the Joliet police Battle Buddy program as unique and said he hasn’t been able to find one quite like it at other police departments.

He said the program is entirely voluntary, the officers are not compensated and it only costs the officers “a little bit of time.”

“We don’t get any extra incentive for doing this except knowing that we’re out there helping a fellow veteran,” Evans said.

For more information or questions about the Battle Buddy program, email jpdbattlebuddy@joliet.gov.