Janesville Police Department's social worker position secures funding for 2021

Nov. 27--JANESVILLE -- A child on the autism spectrum had been having violent outbursts, but the family was nervous about calling Janesville police.

After one incident, however, the family decided to call.

Police officers calmed the situation down and left. Then Wisteria Gunnink arrived.

Gunnink, a Rock County social worker who works out of the Janesville Police Department, said she provided support to the family over the next couple of weeks, too.

She helped the family develop a plan that can be entered into a police database, so officers will know about the child's needs before responding again, if needed.

"And that worked out really well," she said during a recent interview. "It's a really good example of how this program works for the community."

Police have long said they encounter situations that require them to act as social workers, although they are not thoroughly trained to do so. And although the vast majority of people with mental health problems are not violent, a bad outcome is possible when someone having a mental health crisis interacts with police.

A 2018 pilot program that allowed a social worker to listen to Janesville police radio dispatches has expanded, and it now has the necessary backing to continue through 2021.

Bette Trimble, Rock County Crisis, Intake and Outpatient Services program manager, said the social worker position costs $90,488 with benefits. Eighty-one percent of that will be covered by grant funding.

Gunnink typically works from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. so she can overlap with a few different shifts.

When Gunnink isn't working, police Sgt. Dean Sukus said the department operates as it did before Gunnink was physically present. That might mean officers use the county's crisis services.

"It's great to have a mental health professional who is truly trained in mental health there with us when we're dealing with people who are in crisis," Sukus said. "It formulates a better team for us to make decisions for people's mental health needs when we can collaborate on those things."

Earlier this month, Sukus shared data quantifying Gunnink's efforts: In 125 days of work, she has responded to about 114 calls and tallied about 266 total activities, which include both those calls and other follow-up measures.

Sukus said the follow-up contacts keep families stable so police don't have to go back to those homes, and Gunnink can provide necessary aftercare.

Gunnink described it as "teaming" with police officers.

She said she primarily responds to safety issues, which include people with suicidal or homicidal thoughts or actions. She also works with some people who have substance abuse problems, perhaps because they are self-medicating another problem.

Sukus said it's important to have Gunnink on the scene during some calls because she might be able to see something that a police officer might miss.

Both Sukus and Gunnink said the program could expand further, perhaps to other communities in Rock County.

"We certainly would like to have this seven days a week, 24 hours a day, but we don't," Sukus said.

"The bigger cities have a lot of those resources there. Communities our size might not necessarily have the same capabilities," he said. "I think we're really fortunate to have this relationship with Rock County Crisis to be able to accomplish this and do this program."

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