Eden Prairie doubles down on embedded social workers to boost crisis response

Eden Prairie police are so pleased with the success of their embedded social worker program, launched three years ago, that they are adding a second social worker. The expansion comes 18 months ahead of schedule, thanks to a recently awarded state grant.

“I think it’s going to be huge,” said Police Chief Matt Sackett.

The department has trained its officers in crisis intervention and de-escalation for years. “But there’s still just times where someone doesn’t need the police to be there handling that call,” Sackett explained. “They really need a social worker; some resources whether it’s regarding mental health, substance abuse, housing, food – that expert to be there and help take over.”

Last year, Eden Prairie police’s embedded social worker, Molly Mitley, handled 467 cases involving 380 people.

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With a second social worker, Sackett said, police can offer services for more hours of the day and increase the chances that someone with expertise in social services can respond “in the actual moment of need and try to get those resources started.”

The goal is to have the new person on board in May, the chief said.

Getting help closer to the need

It’s difficult to find statistics on the number of U.S. police departments that have embedded social workers, but it appears to be growing as law enforcement looks for new ways to respond to, and possibly reduce, calls related to social behavior rather than criminal behavior.

Experts say it’s a more nuanced response to 911 calls involving mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and other social issues. Connections to services, rather than the courts, are prioritized. It also pairs well with the police department’s longtime emphasis on de-escalation.

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Eden Prairie’s participation is actually in a program started by Hennepin County in 2019, beginning in Minneapolis, according to Adesola Oni, a senior behavioral health administrator at the county who oversees the embedded social worker program and other justice/behavioral health initiatives.

After stakeholders began reporting years earlier that the criminal justice system was too fragmented, the county began looking at other models that put services closer to people who needed them.

Embedding social workers in police departments throughout Hennepin County resulted from that work. Now, there are about 40 of them scattered among police departments, working shoulder to shoulder with officers.

Eden Prairie is responsible for 60% of the cost of having an embedded social worker, with Hennepin County picking up the balance by using a combination of Medicaid, grants, and county funds, according to Oni.

Last week, Sackett signed the grant agreement that will provide Eden Prairie with $184,500 to fund its share of a second social worker through 2026. After that, the city’s share would need to be covered through the city budget or other sources, such as funds secured via opioid lawsuits.

The grant, which comes from the Office of Justice Programs at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, helps pay for wages, benefits, a vehicle, and equipment.

Variances in how social workers are used

There are several models for how embedded social workers are used by police departments, and the county’s Oni said local departments have some flexibility in choosing which model to use.

Eden Prairie’s current social worker primarily provides follow-up to police calls that fall into five general areas: mental health, substance abuse, mental health combined with substance abuse, economic issues, and medical issues.

“What we’re looking at,” said Sackett, “is to broaden our ability to have a modified response in the sense of, between Molly and this new one, getting a little more expanded hours – more than Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 – and allow, ‘Hey, police are on the scene, things are under control, and our officers say they could benefit from a social worker right now, right here, to help them make some connections to services.’”

Sackett says it’s all about “better help on scene, faster, that can provide more immediate follow-up. And hopefully alleviate some of those repeat calls.”

“I don’t think the need for social workers embedded in police departments is going to go away,” he added.

“We’re obviously asked to do so many things,” Sackett said. “There’s so many calls where we don’t necessarily need a police officer there. If we can determine that real quick, and get the appropriate people on site, I think we’re going to have a better outcome for everybody.”

Oni said the program overall is showing promising results, although there is a learning curve for departments that participate, and long-term funding is still uncertain.

Metrics that will determine its ultimate success, she added, include the number of people served, the types of resources they are connected to, whether there is a decrease in “high utilizers” or repeat 911 callers, and qualitative data.

“I think it’s exciting to see the growth over the last few years,” she said. “It’s still relatively new in Hennepin County. It’s wonderful to see the impact it’s been able to make.”