Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect agree to share police social workers

Mount Prospect and Buffalo Grove police have reached deal to share social workers and mental health professionals in situations that require additional assistance.

The deal lasts one year, but will automatically renew if both sides agree to continue the arrangement.

Assistance can include telephone consultation, on-scene response, court advocacy and follow-up social work.

“It’s kind of like mutual aid for police and fire,” Mount Prospect Human Services Director Julie Kane said. “When their social worker would be out on a vacation or leave of some sort, if they had a crisis that required a social worker response, they would call us, and vice versa.”

Mount Prospect Police Chief Michael Eterno said such sharing agreements are a trend in law enforcement.

“A good example would be the (mass shooting) that happened at Highland Park,” he said. “Following that, they brought in social workers from all over. Social workers at the federal level, the state level and the local and municipal levels. And those social workers came together at the high school and they provided services to that community. Because one department couldn’t provide the number of services that they needed with the number of people that were affected by that.”

“These mutual aid agreements ensure that our agencies can offer uninterrupted services, allowing us to share resources, expertise, and knowledge to better support individuals and our communities,” Buffalo Grove Deputy Chief Brian Spolar added.