‘Pioneering’ social worker program with State College Police Department moves forward
A social worker will be added to the State College Police Department, as Centre County was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Karri Hull, director of Criminal Justice Planning for Centre County, informed the Centre County Commissioners of the grant award during Tuesday’s meeting, where the board then approved the grant award.
Commissioners approved applying for the grant in September 2021 to develop and implement a State College Police Department Social Work program with the State College Borough. The grant would cover the lead social worker’s salary and health benefits for two years. Through a collaboration, the county is the recipient of the funds but the State College Borough will be implementing it.
When they sought approval from the board to submit the application, Hannah Babiss, the borough’s local government management fellow, said the program would provide preventative services and case management for individuals interacting with law enforcement. She said the program would help those people regarding a variety of social issues, including mental health, homelessness, substance abuse, and family management challenges. There would also be an effort to reduce the rate that individuals enter or re-enter the justice system.
“We’re really excited that this program is coming to fruition. We’re really grateful to PCCD to have been awarded this grant opportunity and we’re really looking forward to starting the Police Social Worker Program and expanding upon mental health services in the State College Police Department,” Babiss said during Tuesday’s meeting.
John Gardner, chief of the State College Police Department, said Tuesday the program is like a piece of clay; they can mold it and do whatever they want to do with it. They have a vision, he said, but it will require some learning on the fly, too. He said they see the social worker assisting with mental health calls, but also for encounters where police services might not be the best option, such as with the homeless population.
Gardner said mental health calls aren’t slowing down and their services are “stretched to the limit.” The program will give the department the opportunity to work with a professional who can give them other options or alternatives, he said.
“I view it as maybe more of, we can divert people away from the system but also, and more importantly, get them connected to the services that are best suited for them. And by the same token freeing up police officers so that they aren’t dealing with the same individuals time after time after time,” Gardner said.
Commissioner Michael Pipe said the program is “going to be pioneering for our area.”
“And I think there may be even … continued collaboration as we look at both of these themes, which are traditional entities within the criminal justice system needing additional supports,” he said. “Recognizing it within the police force, recognizing it with our public defender. And there are many opportunities for us to, again, reform and improve, so this is exciting.”
Police here do an “exceptional job,” Gardner said, but they need help. He hopes this will be a “building block” for other police departments throughout the county.
Commissioner Mark Higgins noted this is something community members have been advocating for, for several years and was glad to see it come to fruition.
