Aurora is set to extend and expand a police crisis counselor program it has been doing for three years.
Aurora City Council members this week looked favorably on a contract extension with Family Services Association of Elgin that would extend the Police Department Crisis Intervention Unit for this year and the first six months of 2025.
In addition to extending the contract, which the city has had since 2020, it would increase the number of social workers from two to three, and then to four beginning in 2025.
The contract for 2024, with the additional third social worker, would be about $26,283 a month, or $315,395 for the year. For the first six months of 2025, the association would add a fourth social worker, which would bring the price to $36,862 a month, or $221,173 for the first six months of 2025.
Lt. Andy Wolcott, of the Aurora Police Department, recently told the council’s Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee the department is “very happy with their services.”
“We’ve seen great results from our partnership,” he said.
The Crisis Intervention Unit was founded on the understanding that many police interactions with citizens in crisis include mental health issues that must be addressed.
The social workers from the Family Services Association focus on in-progress and post-incident care for the citizens who find themselves in a mental health crisis and also often interact with police.
“This model provides safety for the citizen, the social worker and the officer, while utilizing approaches to mental health interventions aimed at the care of the citizen-patient versus traditional police enforcement tactics,” Wolcott wrote in a memorandum.
One of the reasons for adding social workers is to cover enough shifts, Wolcott said.
He said the additional people will ensure that shifts are covered from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It would cover days off and vacations, too. He said experience has shown that “the need for social workers greatly dies off after 10 p.m.”
Also, resources for the social workers to access are usually limited after that time, he added.
The Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee unanimously endorsed the new contract, and this week, the council, acting as a Committee of the Whole, put it on the consent agenda for next week’s full City Council meeting, meaning it is likely to be approved.
slord@tribpub.com