The integration of social workers into law enforcement has a long history dating back to the early 20th century when August Vollmer known as the “Father of American Policing” stated that police social work should be proactive, connecting people to resources to meet their basic needs as a means of stopping crime before it occurred. While traditionally viewed as separate professions, social work and policing do share a common goal: supporting community well-being.
On college campuses, where mental health concerns have been escalating in recent years, crisis intervention and campus safety are critical issues. The presence of social workers within campus police departments offers a transformative approach to addressing student needs.
Article authors Jennifer Hippie and Tyler Jean will be presenting “Bridging Gaps in Campus Care: A social Work and Campus Police Partnership Model” at this summer’s Campus Safety Conference being held in Austin, Texas, July 21-23. For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.
Police Social Work Builds Trust with College Students and Administrators
Recent data indicates colleges and universities are experiencing an increase in student mental health concerns, with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation reaching a 15-year high. Traditionally, campus police have been the first responders to crises, but officers may not always have the training or resources to handle complex mental health issues.
This is where a social worker integrated within the campus police department can make a significant difference. A social worker can provide an alternative approach to addressing student crises, bridging the gap between law enforcement and student support services.
A major concern on college campuses is balancing security with student well-being. Over-policing can create an environment of fear, while under-policing may leave students vulnerable. The integration of social workers helps strike this balance.
By providing trauma-informed crisis intervention, social workers offer support in situations where police presence alone may not be the best option. This could be for many reasons, including that for some individuals, the presence of a police uniform can be triggering, which may hinder trust and engagement. The presence of police could also escalate those having a mental health crisis due to fear of arrest.
Related Article: Adapting School Suicide Prevention Programs for Students of Color
The presence of a non-uniformed social worker during such a crisis can help create a less intimidating environment, allowing for de-escalation. Social workers can also provide classroom talks or engage with student clubs on mental health awareness, allowing them to be seen as another campus resource and for connection outside of times of crisis. This proactive engagement can reduce stigma around seeking help and foster a sense of campus community.
Using the Critical Decision-Making Model
The Critical Decision-Making Model (CDM) is a five-step model used by law enforcement to help guide their decisions to ensure calls for service are being handled appropriately. The purpose of the model is to increase accountability among officers while also upholding department policy as it pertains to crisis response and use of force.
With harm reduction and saving lives at its core, its steps include:
Jennifer Hippie, PhD(c), LCSW, LCAC — Photo courtesy Jennifer Hippie
- Gathering information and intelligence
- Conducting a risk assessment and developing a strategy to manage risks
- Consider agency policies and procedures
- Identify options and alternatives
- Take action and review outcomes
The social worker is another tool available for police to do their job effectively. Having a social workers present can allow those students experiencing a mental health episode to safety plan and connect to campus or community resources to further assist them. This example illustrates how the inter-professional collaboration of police and social work can lead to increased service-based responses that do not include arrest.
Challenges in Implementing Police-Social Work Models
Service Duplication
One of the challenges in implementing this inter-professional model is avoiding redundancy in services. Student Affairs and counseling centers most often already provide support and crisis intervention, raising concerns about overlapping roles. Effective integration requires clear communication and delineation of responsibilities to ensure services complement rather than duplicate existing resources.
The relationship between police and social workers will look different based on the environment in which the police department is located. A two-year commuter campus program may have a different focus than a four-year, residential setting. It must be acknowledged that while this inter-professional model of collaboration between social workers and campus police departments may work at one university or college, it may not fit the culture or climate of others.
Pushback from Other Social Workers
Some social workers have expressed opposition to working within law enforcement, arguing that social work should remain independent of policing structures. However, law enforcement personnel have shared that this model allows for a reduction in relying on punitive measures and provides police with an additional resource to aid the campus community. This inter-professional strategy can assist in the de-criminalization of mental health needs and reduce reliance on the criminal justice system to manage non-criminal calls for service.
Related Article: How Social Workers Can Drastically Improve Overall Community Safety
There are concerns about the level of autonomy social workers will have if they are included in police departments, such as maintaining their distinct roles within integrated public safety teams. Rather than losing their identity, this collaboration presents an opportunity for each discipline to contribute its strengths, leading to more well-rounded and effective responses to community needs. Despite longstanding divides, social work and policing should ultimately strive toward the same goal — supporting the well-being of their communities.
Tyler Jean, PhD(c), MSW, MS.Ed., LCSW — photo courtesy Tyler Jean
The fusion of social workers and campus police departments offers a modernized and vital approach to crisis intervention, safety, and student support. By playing a role as part of the CDM, social workers augment law enforcement’s ability to respond to crisis calls. While there are challenges like professional mistrust, decreasing unnecessary police interaction, increasing trust among the campus body, and improving crisis response are all crucial benefits that demonstrate its potential to reshape campus safety strategies.
This Type of Collaboration Might Work on Your Campus
As universities develop ways to manage growing student mental health needs and evolving campus safety concerns, the adoption of the inter-professional police-social work collaboration can be a model for future policy. Further research is critical to expanding this approach to ensure that every student has access to supportive, effective crisis response services.
This is especially true now given the increased rates of mental health issues being reported by college students. Bridging the gap between law enforcement and social work moves us toward a community-centered approach to campus safety.
Jennifer Hippie serves as an Associate Professor and Director of the Northwest Campus for the Indiana University School of Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor, and a former Licensed School Social Worker in Indiana.
Tyler Jean previously worked as a Sheriff’s deputy, SRO and case manager at a community mental health center in Indianapolis. She has her LCSW and works part time as a mental health and addictions therapist where she leads batterers intervention groups, intensive outpatient therapy and sees individual clients. She is also in her third year of the social work PhD program at Indiana University.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
