Abstract
Many consider adding social workers into police departments to be a merging of diverse ideals, roles, and ethics. This paper shares the ongoing integration efforts and challenges of a project attempting this endeavor. In 2021, the Fayetteville, Arkansas Police Department (FPD) partnered with the University of Arkansas School of Social Work (UA) to develop an internship. In time, this internship developed into the Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT), which partners social workers with Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officers to provide alternative responses to mental health-related calls. There was initial skepticism about CIRT among FPD staff. However, our research, using both surveys and semi-structured interviews, indicates attitudes toward the program became more positive and the culture within the FPD began to shift. Semi-structured interviews indicate these changes are largely due to CIRT personnel, prioritization by FPD leadership, a progressive department, and mutual respect between FPD and UA faculty. Although remaining challenges were also highlighted, shifts in FPD attitudes resulted in yearly increases in referrals to CIRT and program expansion. We were also curious about the public’s perception of the program, particularly if community trust of the FPD was enhanced. Generally, we found CIRT participants and the community supportive of the program, with baseline data suggesting that CIRT effectively connects people to services and improves community attitudes toward FPD. Still, data reveal continued challenges for CIRT. Interestingly, the challenges highlighted by the community align with those highlighted by FPD staff and continue to stress the need for mutual understanding.
Presenters
Kimberly StaussProfessor, School of Social Work, University of Arkansas, Arkansas, United States Mark Plassmeyer
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Arkansas, Arkansas, United States Ananda Rosa
Field Education Program Director, Social Work, University of Arkansas School of Social Work, Arkansas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Criminal Justice, Community Policing, Mental Health, Organizational Diversity
