Arlington Heights police now have counselor who can respond to crisis calls

There's a new person working the afternoon shift at the Arlington Heights Police Department, but she doesn't wear a badge or carry a gun.

Amid national debates on defunding police and relocating resources to social services, the Northwest suburban police department and Amita Health Center for Mental Health received a $250,000 federal grant for a crisis counselor who will work with sworn officers on calls involving people suffering from a mental health crisis.

The newly hired counselor started Monday and is on call from 3 to 11 p.m. weekdays, when police say they get the most 911 calls for domestic disturbances and other situations that require de-escalation. The counselor is an employee of Amita, which is being reimbursed by the police department through the grant.

Police Chief Nick Pecora and Rick Germann, the vice president of the Amita Health Center for Mental Health, started talking about such a partnership in August 2020 at the height of protests and calls for reform in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.

“Our discussions started with, ‘How many hats are police supposed to wear?' Social services are certainly a needed resource these days,” Pecora said. “We've seen mental health becoming more and more prevalent in our average calls for service. A police officer can only get so much training in so many fields before you need subject matter experts.”

“We thought as society called for less police and more social workers to defuse incidents, what a time to consider a concept here in Arlington Heights.”

The new counselor, who will be based at the police station, won't go out on the initial call with beat cops, Pecora said. But she'll have her cellphone at the ready and respond if an officer deems the situation could be aided by the additional crisis intervention — and only once the scene is secure and there's no further threat.

Then officers will leave and let the counselor meet with individuals privately, where she'll be able to conduct an assessment, offer resources and recommended follow-up treatment, officials said.

“She's not going to wear a uniform, wear a badge or have a police radio,” Pecora said. “We think that way you get buy-in from the people you're talking to, as opposed to talking to an agent of the police department.”

The program — branded as a crisis co-responder team — is a two-year pilot that runs through August 2023, per terms of the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services grant award. But officials hope there will be funding to continue the program in the future.

The effort is similar to a previous partnership between Arlington Heights police and the mental health center in which counselors would visit areas frequented by homeless individuals to help them get back on their feet. The center, at 3436 N. Kennicott Ave., is celebrating its 60th anniversary in Arlington Heights.

“I cannot think of a more fitting fashion to celebrate this milestone than by starting a new initiative to better serve our community,” Germann said.

A part-time counselor to work the weekend evening shifts backed out of the program at the last minute, but Amita plan to hire someone so that Arlington Heights can staff the program every day, Pecora said.