Knoxville, Tenn. March 1 2023 Four Tennessee police officers are being investigated for their treatment of a woman whose pleas for help they repeatedly ignored as they accused her of faking illness after she was discharged from a hospital. The woman was pronounced dead a day later. The Knox County District Attorney’s office announced on Monday […]
Denver CO Jan 14 2023 In 2020, as protests against police brutality overtook Denver’s streets, the city launched a long-planned program to remove officers from situations that would be better served by social workers. And so Support Team Assisted Response, widely known as STAR, began with a single van and a limited pilot to see how […]
Walsall, West Midlands UK November 25th, 2022 A litany of safeguarding issues and risks concerning mental health patients across Walsall Healthcare Trust facilities and Manor Hospital can be revealed by the Express & Star. A massive shortfall in mental health nurses meant security guards cared for vulnerable patients with complex mental health needs for 8,000 […]
SYLVA, N.C November 8 2022 Police departments across the country are exploring better ways to respond to calls, and that includes Sylva Police Department. There’s a new approach by the Sylva Police Department through its partnership with social work interns from Western Carolina University. Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton said the Community Care Program partnership with […]
New York City NY Nov 2 2022 Retired NYPD Detective Lou Yero grew so traumatized by the horrors he witnessed on the job that he took to drink — and ended up putting a loaded gun to his head. “And then I looked in the mirror and saw my son’s room,” Yero recalled last week at […]
Richmond VA July 25 2022 Since 2019, Virginia has spent millions of dollars rolling out an alternative transportation program intended to reduce the role of law enforcement in driving patients to state mental hospitals and other psychiatric facilities. Under a contract with the state, the security company, Allied Universal, is tasked with building capacity to […]
Raleigh NC May 24 2022 When two sheriff’s deputies showed up at the hospital room of John Noel’s husband, Chris, he thought he was being arrested. No one had told him they were coming. The deputies handcuffed Chris and escorted him to the back seat of a patrol car, according to Noel. Driving away from the […]
PORTLAND, Ore. Feb 23 2022— A year ago, Sandi Jernstrom was waiting to die. Living unsheltered in the Lents neighborhood of Southeast Portland, the 45-year-old believed her former partner would kill her, as he repeatedly told her she wouldn’t live until the next day, she said. But now, Jernstrom is safe from abuse, has moved from […]
SEATTLE WA January 6 2022- The City of Seattle announced Thursday that it will expand a unique program that pairs firefighters with social workers. Mayor Jenny Durkan says it will play an important role in the fight against homelessness. Seattle Firefighter Roger Webber has decades of experience on a ladder truck but the Health One […]
Urbana-Champaign IL Nov 30 2021 A student overwhelmed by schoolwork and engaging in self-harm. An international student missing home who has thought about suicide. Another student feeling pressure from the social aspects of college life. A community member demonstrating signs of paranoia and anxiety. All of those cases and several more came across the desk […]