16-02-2025
Crisis averted: New staff member connects residents with resources
It's not unusual that someone locked in a police department holding cell might become distraught.
But when a young woman in a Meadville Police Department cell recently explained that her distress was due, in part, to the fact that she was missing an appointment with her counselor, something that could not have happened two months ago occurred: Officers asked new city employee Brian Swavey to talk to the woman.
Swavey, in turn, asked for the young woman's phone and had her call the counselor on speakerphone. The counselor asked if it would be possible to see the prisoner and within a short while, the counselor joined the woman and Swavey.
'We pulled in a couple chairs and literally had a counseling session right there off holding cell one,' Swavey recalled Friday.
'That's one of the things that I look forward to doing — those type of things — breaking the mold of what we traditionally think of.'
Not quite seven weeks into his new job as the city of Meadville's first crisis intervention officer, Swavey is essentially building the position from the ground up and having fun doing so.
'I honestly love the job,' he said inside a small office on the first floor of the City Building, until recently the office of Sgt. Vince Trenga, Meadville Police Department's school safety officer and crossing guard coordinator. Handheld 'Stop' signs were stacked in one corner along with other equipment.
After 32 years as an officer with Crawford County Juvenile Probation, one element of the new position the 58-year-old especially likes is the fact that he can focus more on helping people and spend less energy trying to get them to do things they don't want to do.
'At probation, you can help people, but you still have a court order in everything that you have to — you know, do this, do that, pee in a cup, all these things that you have to do,' Swavey said. 'Well, I got rid of that part and so now I'm just a helper — and that's what I like to do.'
Swavey's retirement from juvenile probation was effective Dec. 31. After a one-day vacation for New Year's Day, he was in his new office on Jan. 2. He spent part of January with 13 other emergency responders in Crawford County's week-long crisis intervention workshop at Allegheny College and has spent much of the rest of his time responding to people in varying forms of crisis. The unpredictability and changing nature of the calls he responds to make the job interesting.
Earlier this week, for instance, he arrived at the scene of a reported domestic violence incident in the Fairmont Apartments complex as city police officers were leaving. He immediately sat down with the couple involved and the three of them broke down what had happened.
'Why did this happen? What did you do, what did they do?' he recalled. 'They took some ownership of it, so I was able to process it in real-time as to what was going on. It was actually kind of neat to be able to do that.'
About 10 days ago, another call took him to a house with a long driveway in Vernon Township, where a woman had requested increased patrols after reporting that a car pulled into her driveway with the headlights shining into where she was sitting in the living room.
The family, it turns out, had recently moved from another residence where the woman had been home when a break-in occurred. Swavey paid multiple visits, talking to family members about plans to install security cameras and lights as he also began reevaluating his conception of his new job.
While the textbook mental health issues that have been spotlighted in recent reevaluations of law enforcement practices are an important element, there's more to it than that, according to Swavey.
'I found out real quickly that crisis is perspective,' he said. 'There's all different types of crises. My mindset was originally just mental health, but really it's a broad perspective of what crisis is.'
Funding for the position came last March in the form of a Congressionally Directed Spending Award — more commonly known as an 'earmark' — secured by former Sen. Bob Casey. The $268,000 in federal funds will cover salary and benefits for three years as well as a vehicle, equipment and other related expenses. Swavey is currently using a police department vehicle until another vehicle can be acquired.
Swavey may temporarily place more of a burden on the department's transportation needs, but in the bigger picture, his presence relieves a much larger burden that the department was previously ill-equipped to handle, according to Mayor Jaime Kinder.
'It frees up police to do the job that they signed up for,' Kinder said Friday in her office, a short walk from Swavey's. 'They shouldn't have to be therapists.'
Perhaps most importantly, Kinder added, where police officers typically respond to incidents involving crisis and then move on to the next call, Swavey's position allows him to follow up as needed 'to make sure they're getting what they need.'
Representatives of the social service agencies that play a central role in crisis intervention say the position is already making a difference.
'Absolutely it's a good thing,' said Sarah Miller, a direct services supervisor with Women's Services Inc., who provided training at the county's crisis intervention workshop last month.
'The fact that our local law enforcement is taking it so seriously and making referrals is crucial,' Miller said. 'We really benefit from that partnership.'
Swavey's work has already resulted in referrals to Crawford County Mental Health Awareness Program (CHAPS) and collaboration between CHAPS and the police department, according to CHAPS Executive Director Lynn McUmber.
'I think it's going to be a great asset to our community to make sure that people are identified if they're out there and not being given help and being given a little bit of support to get the assistance they need, both with mental health and our housing and homeless services as well,' she said. 'Getting people the support they need is really the goal.'
Still in the early stages, Swavey said he has already recognized that much of his responsibilities will involve 'aftercare' — those follow-up visits to check on progress or additional needs of the people who have experienced various forms of crisis. It's the kind of work he likes.
'I have a heart to help people,' he said.
