In 2019 Palos Park and our partner agencies Orland Park, Oak Forest, Orland Hills, Midlothian, and Palos Heights were awarded a federal grant to build on improving our response to mental health-related incidents. The goal of this grant is to improve the outcomes for persons with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, who come in contact with our department. The Orland Park Police Department is the lead agency for the federal mental health grant designed to help those we may encounter with mental illness or who are suffering from drug abuse. Palos Park Officer Danielle Scaccia oversees the program for PPPD. Orland Park Police Lieutenant Troy Siewert, a nationally recognized expert in Police / Mental Health Crisis / Successful & Safe Crisis Intervention, manages the program for all police agencies.
This grant partners officers with Trinity Services to develop a regional cross-system collaboration program to help people with mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who encounter police situations. The goal is to seek diversionary programs instead of arrest when the situation warrants it. The money, along with local resources, pays for a dedicated Mobile Crisis Response Unit staffed by officers trained in crisis intervention, clinical responders and licensed clinician who specialize in mental health and opioid addiction. Three hundred officers will be trained on how to spot and manage these situations. The unit is expected to serve 125,000 residents in Oak Forest, Orland Hills, Midlothian, Palos Heights and Palos Park.
