FAIRFIELD, CT — With Fairfield police seeing a sharp increase in calls of people in crisis, the Board of Selectmen on Monday unanimously approved the use of $190,000 to continue the police department’s Crisis Intervention Teams Behavioral Health Program.
The funding, which is over a two-year period, is from a Department of Justice grant program, and would pay for two unmarked police cars, according to Deputy Police Chief Edward Weihe, who oversee the CIT effort.
“One vehicle would allow [Licensed Clinical Social Worker Jessica Bloomberg] to arrive in her own vehicle rather than a police car to provide services,” Weihe told the board. “The second would allow a plain-clothes CIT officer to accompany the social worker on higher-risk needs for service. Separate vehicles are necessary to isolate protected information.”
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According to Weihe, in 2020, the department received fewer than 100 calls that fell under the overall banner of a person in crisis. By 2022, the number of such calls exploded to 701, in part due to the mental challenges some faced during the pandemic.
“Those numbers are staggering, and an example of how much Fairfield still has to do to address these problems,” said Selectwoman Christine Vitale.
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The CIT program, which also includes trained officers who help assess situations and accompany Bloomberg on calls, was launched in 2011, and Bloomberg, who is a retired Stamford police officer in addition to being a LCSW, was brought on board in December 2022.
After the grant is depleted, the town will have to pay about $100,000 annually to keep the program going.
“Having Jessica on staff has truly been a blessing,” said Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick. “The police department is literally called for everything, so it’s been a true success.”
The use of the grant funding still must be approved by the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting, and will be discussed at future hearings.
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