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The City of Waterloo has announced that Waterloo police officers will be joined by social workers for calls involving persons in crisis or in need, thanks to a new partnership.
According to KWWL, the police department s new partner is the Elevate Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Waterloo. Elevate is funded by the Cares Act.
Since the beginning of 2021, social workers from Elevate CCBHC have been going on calls for persons in crisis, or those dealing with mental health impairments. The partnership will allow those social workers to be implanted into the police force and to continue to respond, along with officers, to certain calls. Waterloo Police announced on a media call that there are currently three social workers embedded in the department, with the plan for one of them to work each shift.
Waterloo Police Will Have Social Workers Riding Along on Calls
Social workers will be working closely with Waterloo s police force when they respond to emergency calls according to a news release from the Waterloo Police Department on Monday, February 15. The social workers will be from Elevate CCBHC in Waterloo, and will be embedded within the police force as part of the initiative.
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Waterloo Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said on the matter,
The goal of this program is to decriminalize behavioral crises, and reduce stigmas, by having Crisis Specialists available 24/7 both within the Police Department and through Elevate and other service providers.
corps, and he had been known to police. there was a disturbance earlier this year, according to the sheriff, in which this person appeared irate. mental health specialists, crisis specialists were called in and ultimately cleared him. we also know his weapon, according to the sheriff, was purchased legally. and it is believed he shot himself after 2 1/2 minutes of opening fire inside that local bar on college night. stories of heroism emerging. you heard six off-duty police officers offering to physically block, act as human shields for the younger men and women who were inside that bar. i want to bring back in nbc s joe fryer, covering this story. significant new information we are now learning from the sheriff. yeah. it is some key information. the sheriff has been very good at coming out, as soon as he learns something, and shares it with everyone. we really don t know a motive at this point. you know, they have some interactions with this gunman over time, but they were basically