Fremont Police Department adds mental wellbeing co-responder

FREMONT, Neb. (WOWT) – Every day Fremont law enforcement officers are responding to a vast variety of calls.

“They do have to be the counselors, the psychiatrists, and all the things,” reported Rachel Wesely, Fremont Law enforcement co-responder.

Now officers will have some assistance from Rachel Wesely. She is Fremont Law enforcement Department’s initially psychological health co-responder.

“What transpires is in a lot of the phone calls that we go to it is not basically a legal matter, ideal or improper. A lot of occasions there’s a mental well being element to it,” Chief Jeff Elliott, Fremont Police Dept.

Wesely is currently out on the streets responding to phone calls with officers. She’s there to support with every thing from citizens with material abuse problems, to dementia people and all those with suicidal thoughts.

Her principal career – to enable find resources for all those in need to have.

“We know it is effective to cut down hospitalizations, unwanted hospitalizations, and at times we can divert from the jails, as properly,” said Wesely.

Main Jeff Elliot suggests that just a several many years back the office experienced a grant wherever they had Wesely functioning as a spouse responding to the similar types of calls.

But when grant money ran out—the system stopped.

“After we got some practical experience doing it and we found out how advantageous the situation is and in individual, Rachel was to the office, my workers was clambering saying hey we have to find a way to bring this human being again,” explained Chief Elliott.

Wesely is now complete-time soon after the metropolis council agreed she was an asset to the local community. She now has her sights set on serving to to improve the plan.

“I say the sky is the limit. I would like to see it extend in the foreseeable future. Preferably, we could have an whole device.”

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