Submitted By
Kira Tchang, Assistant Village Manager/HR Director
Reviewed By
Erin E. Baynes, Assistant to the Village Manager
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Motion to Adopt Phase 1 of an Alternative Response to Calls for Service Pilot Program
End
Overview
Overview
Following the Alternative Response to Calls for Service Pilot Program study session on April 30, 2024, staff recommends the implementation of Phase 1 of the program which focuses on two key components of staff’s original recommendation: 1) providing an unarmed response to low-risk calls for service that may be unrelated to mental health crises through non-sworn Community Service Officers; and 2) hiring staff to support the Community Care Navigation model that links community members in need with services via follow-up care, community education, and community partnerships.
End
Recommendation
Recommendation
Adopt the Motion.
Background
On April 30, 2024, the Village Board participated in a study session regarding a proposal for an Alternative Response to Calls for Service Pilot Program. The proposed model was an outcome of years of community calls for reimagining public safety, the State of Illinois’ passage of the Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA), the BerryDunn Community Safety Study recommendations, the Village Manager’s Alternative Response Task Force for Mental Health Crises, the Village Board’s adopted goals for 2024-2025, and meetings and collaboration with the Village’s internal and external public safety and emergency response providers. As a part of the study session, staff presented a model that would create an alternative response for calls for service that originate through 911 or direct calls to the Village.
The proposed program includes four components:
1) Community response for low-risk mental/behavior health-related 911 calls or VOP-initiated calls. These calls would include mental health clinicians and peer support specialists
2) Co-response for high-risk mental/behavioral health-related 911 calls. Response to these calls would include licensed mental health clinicians, paramedics, and crisis intervention team-trained police officers
3) Community care navigation for follow-up service connection for neighbors in need to additional services following 911 or other VOP-initiated calls and interactions
4) Service response for low-risk, non-mental health-related calls for service that would not require an armed police response
Based on feedback from the study session, staff recommends moving forward with a Phase 1 implementation of the VOP ARCS. Recommended for inclusion in Phase 1 are: 1) the Community Care Navigation; and 2) service response components.
To implement community care navigation, staff recommends hiring one (1) program manager and two (2) mental health clinicians. These roles would provide service connection and case management to community members who have engaged with emergency responders and may need additional services that are not available through a traditionally dispatched/emergency response. Community care navigators would follow up with neighbors and/or their families and provide a warm introduction to other care or service providers in the community. Community care navigation would also include rapid response to calls made directly to the Village or Village-initiated calls for service related to unhoused community members and traumatic community events and generally serve as subject matter experts housed within the Village. As a component of community care navigation, staff also recommends re-establishing an intergovernmental agreement with Oak Park Township to participate in the Township’s Youth Engagement Program and formalize the Village’s relationship with the Township’s senior services programming.
To implement an unarmed service response, staff recommends hiring three (3) Community Service Officers (CSOs) who are unarmed civilian members of the Police Department who can respond to low-risk calls for service that do not have a mental health component. By increasing the number of CSOs in the Department, CSOs will then be capable of responding to certain types of calls for service including, but not limited to, calls that involve taking a police report for property damage, minor thefts, motor vehicle accidents, and falls and other injuries occurring on public property.
Staff continues to explore potential partnerships and services for dispatched community response and co-response for 911 calls for service that have a mental or behavioral health component. Since the April 30, 2024 study session, staff have met with numerous community partners, including Thrive, Oak Park Township, and Housing Forward, to collaborate around shared goals and objectives. Staff anticipates bringing forward a recommendation for mental or behavioral health-related calls for service as a part of Phase 2 of the program at a later date.
Fiscal Impact
Based on implementation and recruiting timelines, staff estimates that Fiscal Year 2024 start-up costs for Phase 1 of the Alternative Response Pilot Program will not exceed $275,000.
The Board has approved $1,100,000.00 for an Alternative Response Pilot Program in Fiscal Year 2024. This line item is currently budgeted in the Finance Department’s Budget, Account No. 1001.41300.101.530695
DEI Impact
Community care navigation is an important tool for members of the community, in particular, those members of the community who rely on 911 as a primary source of medical care. While many community members call 911 for service, certain impacted communities, including those who are elderly, low-income, unhoused, or individuals with disabilities, are more likely to rely on 911 for immediate access to medical care. Community care navigation may provide these residents with resources to best address medical needs outside of an emergency response system.
Alternatives
The Board can delay action to gain additional information.
Previous Board Action
The Board appropriated $1,100,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Should the Board adopt Phase 1 of the Oak Park ARC Pilot Program, the Board can expect regular communication regarding the implementation and status of the Pilot Program. Staff will bring a recommendation related to an intergovernmental agreement with the Oak Park Township at a later date.
Staff will also bring a recommendation related to Phase 2 of the Oak Park ARC Program which will focus on mental and behavioral health-related calls for service.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
Staff has been collaborating with Oak Park Township and anticipate future opportunities to partner with the Township.