by Sandy Trozzo, PublicSource

The small child had witnessed a murder and stood by helplessly while the police secured the scene and searched for evidence. Caseworkers from Children, Youth and Family Services were delayed, so a social work intern with the police department bought the child breakfast at McDonald’s, then set her up with video games at the police station until caseworkers could get there.

“That was really a traumatic situation, and I was pleased that the student could handle it,” said Emma Lucas-Darby, the University of Pittsburgh social work adjunct professor who placed the intern with the Wilkinsburg Police Department. “She was on her feet because the child really didn’t understand what was going on.”

In Hampton Township, Angela Kenbok, social services coordinator with the police department, has helped a resident get the proper medications for her mental health issues and has donned gloves to help with hoarding issues, among the many cases she has taken on since joining the department.

The two municipalities are part of a slowly growing trend in Allegheny County to have social workers or interns embedded in police departments. Millvale currently has two interns, and Police Chief Tim Komoroski wants to make the position full time. Police officials in Ross Township and Sharpsburg are also interested in hiring interns.

“You need social work. It tells you that our job is not all ‘arrest and lock them up.’ We have a lot of societal ills and quality of life ills, and we need to address them,” said Wilkinsburg Police Chief Ophelia Coleman. “I believe in them 100%, and so do the officers.”

Lucas-Darby has also placed undergraduate students as interns in police departments in Erie County.

“I am so pleased that police departments are willing to take on social workers and for social workers to be part of the department. They are there, they can be called upon. The police can consult with them,” she said.

The interns in Hampton and Millvale are graduate students in forensic social work at Slippery Rock University under Associate Professor Yvonne Eaton-Stull.

“Police have a very highly specialized job, but so do social workers. Police have more the role of getting called when there is an emergency, addressing the immediate needs, where social workers can work on the underlying problem that led to the arrest or encounter with law enforcement and hopefully prevent future engagement with law enforcement,” Eaton-Stull said.

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