Gurnee police CARE team supports community mental health

Gurnee police have established a team dedicated to responding to calls involving mental health crises and providing other services.

More than 30 Gurnee officers have been trained in crisis intervention principles and have been responding to situations for years.

However, the Crisis Assistance & Response Engagement (CARE) team “formalizes and enhances” the approach by combining the expertise of a trained officer with the guidance of a licensed social worker, according to Chief Jeremy Gaughan.

While actively involved with a multi-agency effort started three years ago in Lake County, Gurnee is dedicating a police officer and a clinical social worker to provide a direct connection.

“How this differs is we have a team within our department that can respond immediately to anything happening in the community,” Detective Shawn Gaylor explained.

Officer Corey White and Rebecca Price, a licensed clinical social worker, work out of the Gurnee police station, have radios, ride together and can help those experiencing a mental health crisis in various ways.

“We've been on several active calls,” Price said. The team had 50 contacts in November and 26 so far this month, she added. Those involve active calls, follow-ups or others who visit the station or call for assistance.

According to the department, a social worker can intervene or de-escalate a crisis; connect families to social service providers; assist officers on calls where mental illness is a factor; support crime victims or families during fatal events; facilitate training on officer wellness; and, at times, provide short-term counseling to stabilize individuals.

The goal is to provide a coordinated response and follow-up for those with mental illness, intellectual or developmental disorders or the homeless while reducing the stigma of mental health and easing fears associated with law enforcement.

“These types of calls are extremely common,” Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said.

Gurnee, with departments from Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, Vernon Hills and the Lake County Sheriff's Office comprise the Crisis Outreach and Support Team (CoaST).

In that set up, an officer from one of the local agencies and a sheriff's deputy partner with a social worker, clinician, or peer specialist to respond to mental health-related calls, Covelli said.

Since its inception in January 2022, CoaST has responded to dozens of mental health calls in progress, allowing trained professionals to spend as much time as needed with the person in crisis, and first responders can return to emergency calls for service, he said.

“As a profession, law enforcement has changed the way we approach these situations” Covelli said. That means spending the time to resolve an issue without the use of force and then following up to offer additional help as needed, he added.

Gaylor said another officer from the department will be assigned to CoaST, although the CARE Team also will continue to support the organization and be available to assist with situations in Gurnee.

Village residents can request information or services at gurnee.il.