WATERVILLE — Town within the coming weeks intends to fill a brand new place that’s meant to assist folks battling psychological well being, substance abuse and different crises, and in consequence scale back the necessity for police response and involvement.
Comparable positions are being developed at police departments across the nation.
Hannah Longley, a licensed scientific social employee and senior scientific director of neighborhood applications at Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness Maine, stated an increasing number of departments throughout the state are investing in such positions.
“Relying on the division, we hear stories that anyplace from 25% to 40% of the calls legislation enforcement responds to are associated to psychological well being or substance use considerations,” Longley stated Friday. “Gov. (Janet) Mills has proposed a historic funding within the psychological well being system in her latest funds. Nonetheless, that is after 10-15 years of minimal funding. In consequence, the prison justice system sadly assumed the position of catch-all for people falling by the cracks.”
Waterville’s full-time place pays $46,000 to $50,000, not together with advantages, and be based mostly on the Police Division, based on performing police Chief Invoice Bonney. Interviews for the place began the primary week of February and the town hopes to have somebody on board by the tip of March, he stated.
Eight folks have utilized, based on performing Metropolis Supervisor Invoice Put up.
The individual employed will exit into the neighborhood to speak with folks affected, in addition to organizations and companies that may assist, Bonney stated Friday.
“It actually identifies these folks to attempt to join them with providers,” he stated. “The concept is to cut back the need for a police response by offering them with acceptable neighborhood providers, and clearly that reduces, hopefully, the possibilities of them going right into a psychological well being disaster or another disaster the place legislation enforcement is pressured to reply and have a damaging interplay with them.”
Waterville follows communities reminiscent of Saco and Sanford, and companies reminiscent of Maine State Police, in hiring folks to function liaisons, he stated.
Longley stated police departments reminiscent of Waterville’s are attempting to supply the suitable help and sources to divert folks from the prison justice system every time potential.
“We’re working onerous to make sure that people battling their psychological well being, a medical situation, will not be stigmatized or criminalized,” she stated.
Final yr alone, Waterville police responded to 568 calls that have been specifically designated as psychological well being calls, however that quantity could be deceptive as a result of many different calls coded as disturbances or suspicious exercise really are psychological health-related, based on Bonney. In 2021, the division responded to 898 calls designated as psychological well being calls, he stated.
Bonney stated hiring a liaison is an effort to take a look at the wants of the neighborhood and work with the neighborhood to seek out options by strategic problem-solving.
“That is neighborhood policing,” he stated.
Bonney on Friday was heading out to talk with state representatives concerning the standing of the psychological well being system in Maine. Jared Mills, Augusta’s police chief, additionally was to be there, Bonney stated.
The Waterville place was first marketed in August as a psychological well being liaison, however there have been no candidates, probably due to how the job description and pay have been configured, Put up stated Friday.
Councilor Flavia DeBrito, D-Ward 2, requested that the title be modified as a result of it offers with not solely psychological well being however different points as effectively.
When Bonney grew to become performing police chief a number of weeks in the past, he labored to develop a brand new job description that was reviewed by Put up and the town’s human sources division, based on Put up.
“It began out final funds season, once we acknowledged we would have liked some form of place to assist these people within the metropolis which can be struggling,” Put up stated, “and to get them linked to the assistance that they want, whether or not it’s psychological well being serves, whether or not it’s the profession heart or another social service supplier.”
The individual holding the job will work carefully with neighborhood organizations and suppliers, in addition to with the Waterville Police Division. The individual is not going to journey with cops.
Bonney stated the necessity for such a place has been lengthy wanted. Former Waterville police Chief John Morris recognized the necessity in Waterville in 1996 and the division instituted a “midnight crew” the place psychological well being employees responded to calls with cops. Through the years funding was misplaced for that place, based on Bonney. Morris later grew to become commissioner of the Maine Division of Public Security.
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