Dearborn pairs police with clinical social worker to provide improved mental health crisis response
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - When it comes to officers responding to mental health crisis callers, one question seems to keep coming up: Are officers properly trained to respond to mental health crisis situations?
Stacy Wetters, Dearborn police's newly acclaimed clinical social worker and behavioral health specialist, believes they do.
"They've been doing it this whole time. I think our officers in Dearborn are trained fantastically," Wetters said.
However, she is willing to admit there is room for improvement.
"I think where the struggle is, is our limited resources," Wetters said.
That is where the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Service (ACCESS) is willing to help.
"People are often scared that they're going to get locked up and that the situation's going to get worse. And we know that locking people up for mental health is not the answer. The solution is to get them help," said ACCESS director Mona Makki.
With more than 110 mental health specialists on staff, Makki says she made it her mission to make Wetters one of them.
"The community loved it. The responses that we were getting. I mean, people call me all the time, 'Mona, can you please send that officer and that social worker? Can you please have them go?' When did we ever hear of anyone calling to say this is helpful?" Makki said with a smile.
According to Dearborn police records, mental health calls have increased by 62% from 2020 to 2022. Welfare check calls also increased during that period from 910 in 2020 to 1,139 in 2021, and 1,135 in 2022.
However, thanks to a grant provided by ACCESS and Wetters' willingness to not only respond directly to mental health callers but help better-trained officers as well, both Makki and Wetters can agree that this new partnership is already leaving a positive impact.
"We've had a couple of people who have reached out to me several times to thank me for following up," Wetters said.
"We just hope that a lot of the community now see this as a resource and a way to get the help that they need," Makki said.
For more information about this partnership, mental health wellness programs, or how to get help, please visit www.accesscommunity.org/.