Little Rock police and social workers offer mental health resources

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Little Rock police officers and social workers are forging a unique partnership.  

They’re teaming up to navigate the tense times confronting people in the middle of a mental health emergency.

“Teamwork is the most important thing about about our job and the way that we function and the way that we’re able to provide service to community members,” Little Rock Police Department Social Worker Steph Wilson said.

For Officer Devon Colclough and Wilson, every day is different but their goal is always the same.

“If you have someone like a mental health professional or social worker, even a CIT trained officer who knows how to de-escalate individuals in crisis arriving right there on scene, you just have better outcomes,” Wilson said.

That’s the basis of Little Rock Police Department’s community response team, also known as CRT.

CRT is a unit that was formed in 2023 when LRPD received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to create the co-response unit — bringing police officers and social workers together to help those experiencing mental illness or homelessness.

“Typically, we’ll go in the house first, and make sure that the scene is secure. There’s nothing where our social workers can get hurt. And then once they’re inside, they kind of take over,” Colclough said.

From there they both work together to go above and beyond for those they’re assisting — hoping to positively change the outcome for those who might be dealing with a mental health crisis.

“CeCe and I recently spent six hours working with one individual and ended up going to court with this individual to obtain an order of protection,” Wilson said.

Colclough said its LRPD’s Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) that helps her and all officers gain the correct skills to help those in need.

Through the CRT’s work, both Colclough and Wilson gain the opportunity to learn a thing or two from each other.

“They [social workers] give me cues, words, verbal techniques to use whenever I’m talking to people in the community,” Colclough said. “She can write down something for me right then and there or text it to me.”

Going the extra mile can not only save a life, but provide a safe space to those in the Little Rock community.

For the CRT officers and social workers, they hope to provide more avenues not only for their team but to answer the needs of the community as well.

“There was an individual who was actually on a bridge and was going to jump and CeCe, and another one of our officers went out to respond and actually talk this individual off the bridge,” Wilson said. “We speak to this individual now, and they’re doing great. They’re in outpatient therapy. They just moved into their own apartment.”

You can learn more about the community response team by clicking here.