Collaborative approach: Social services program boosts ability of Ross police to provide help

Last summer, Ross police responded to a call involving a 41-year-old male with a history of substance abuse who was suicidal after the death of his significant other.

Accompanying the officers was a staff member who had joined the department just 11 days earlier.

“I believe we were in there speaking to the gentleman for a little over a half hour before he was receptive to us getting help,” then-new social services coordinator Jordan Sager said.

Finally, the man agreed to be taken to UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital for treatment. But after his release, he was arrested for driving under the influence. And when Sager tried to reach him for a follow-up check, there was no answer.

“I became concerned. We went up to the residence for the welfare check. He was in the house. The windows were wide open. There was no power. He was intoxicated, actually drinking from a vodka bottle,” Sager recalled. “Once he saw me, he broke down and started crying, and said that he needed help.”

And following a successful stay at a rehabilitation center, he “is now working to actually become a peer recovery specialist at the same treatment center where he received care.”

Sager presented the story as a case study during a Sept. 16 report to Ross commissioners on the progress of the police department’s social services program, which the township launched with his hiring in July 2023.

The unit’s purpose is to provide crisis intervention, case management, short-term counseling and other forms of assistance as an added resource for officers in addressing a growing number of calls involving psychological and behavioral health issues.

“The brief interactions we were having with those in crisis was the equivalent to us of merely putting a Band Aid on the problem,” police Sgt. Matthew Immekus told commissioners. “Jordan has been that solution, having the ability to provide more one-on-one attention as well as follow-up care to those members of our community in crisis.”

‘Co-responder model’

Sager explained his role in what he calls the “co-responder model” used by the department when police are called.

“If the officer feels like I can be of some assistance for the call at hand, he will bring me in and we’ll kind of take a collaborative approach to see what exactly the nature of the incident is, and work on giving that person help,” he said.

He reported a total of 891 client interactions in his first 14 months with the department, including 298 involving crisis response and intervention, along with 454 individual client interaction follow-ups.

The case of a 28-year-old man suffering from depression, anxiety and chronic suicidal ideations served as an example of how Sager’s presence helps reduce call volume and, by extension, conserve departmental resources.

Notification to police of the man’s behavior resulted in 17 occasions of his being transported to psychiatric hospitals in Allegheny and Beaver counties, and generally three or four officers would respond because of his propensity to run away when they arrived, according to Chief Cristyn Zett.

“When I started here, very early on, this individual was a topic of conversation because the calls would escalate, and then we wouldn’t hear from him for a little bit, and then we would be back,” she said. “This was pretty exciting when Jordan started and we were able to say, ‘Please help us with this.’”

Through Sager’s involvement, the man moved to a place where he receives a higher level of care, resulting in no further alerts about him to Ross police.

In addition to responding with officers, Sager provides consultation and referrals to the community at large. For example, someone might tell him, “I have a sister who’s diagnosed with bipolar. She’s not taking her medications. What should I do?”

“I can ask a few more questions and be able to kind of steer them in the right direction,” Sager said. “We also do a lot of short-term case management, which is a lot of follow-ups with clients as far as scheduling appointments and making sure that they are attending those appointments.

“We want to make sure that we’re developing a good rapport and a good relationship with the community,” he explained, “so when somebody does need help, they feel comfortable coming and getting that help.”

Credit for counterpart

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Sager earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Slippery Rock University, completing an internship with Millvale police.

He credits Angela Kenbok, another Slippery Rock graduate and the first local police social services coordinator in Allegheny County, for her advocacy on behalf of creating comparable positions in nearby communities.

“She definitely paved the way for other departments to hire social workers,” Sager said. “And I tell her all the time, she’s the main reason why I think I was able to get a position here, because of the fantastic work that she did in Hampton Township.”

Ashly Nicholas, one of Sager’s interns for 2023-24, recently became Cranberry Township’s initial police social worker, and Mt. Lebanon started a similar program this month.

“I think that the more social workers we can get into police departments, the more people we can reach, and the more help and services we can get to people in the community,” Sager said.

While with Ross, Nicholas spearheaded a campaign to provide drug overdose prevention kits. Her fellow intern, Elizabeth Echevarria, is the founder and CEO of Living in Liberty, a nonprofit focused on providing services for victims and survivors of sex trafficking in Western Pennsylvania.

As far as the social services program’s impact on the police department, Immekus gave a ringing endorsement of Sager and his work.

“He’s not only there for us when we need him, he has empowered us to solve problems on our own by providing us with tools and resources to better help when needed,” Immekus said. “This makes us all better, more well-rounded officers, and strengthens the bond between our community and us. And I’m thankful for that.”

Jordan Sager can be contacted at jsager@ross.pa.us.