Ciera Payne knows first-hand how much of a difference the presence of a social worker can make in a police call.
Last year, as part of her studies in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work, she served an internship that involved going out on calls with the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Even a small occurrence — such as the call she recalled getting about a juvenile smashing windows — showed that she could make a big difference in how things played out, she said.
"The child could have been no more than 10 or 11," she said, recalling "the fear in his eyes when he saw the police were coming up to him" and meant to take him home in their patrol car.
Payne offered to walk him home instead so they could talk about what happened. Payne said it made a difference "to talk to the mother as a social worker, versus an officer talking to her about the trouble that her son was in.
"I think the biggest piece was him not having to go in the back of a police car to go home," she said. "I found that people were more open to talking if it wasn't [with] the police officers."
Such programs are a likely path forward for policing in Pittsburgh and other communities.
"A lot of the calls that police departments get are of law enforcement nature, but a lot are not," said Emma Lucas Darby, an adjunct professor at Pitt who worked with the Wilkinsburg department to place its interns. "That's where social workers can make a difference."
The idea has been taking root in a number of departments. And Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is continuing an initiative begun by his predecessor, Bill Peduto, to establish a response team in the city. A spokesperson said the city has hired two social workers so far, and it hopes to hire three more, with a pilot program to launch "in the coming weeks."
Departments that can afford such an effort stand to see real benefits, said Wilkinsburg police officer William Coffee, who acted as a liaison between the department and social workers.
"People don't always feel comfortable with just the police there," he said. Often police find themselves negotiating situations where a badge may not help — and may even make things more tense. "They're more likely to open up to the social workers than to the police."
Payne was one of two Pitt students who interned with the Wilkinsburg Police Department from March to December last year. The Social Worker Outreach Team, as the effort was called, partnered with local organizations and schools, and it responded to emergency calls for matters involving such issues as mental health crises and domestic violence.
Payne said being a Black woman in a mostly Black community played a part in gaining trust.
"One member of the community was into spirituality," Payne said. "She didn't think the white officers would understand her: They would think she was crazy. Me being a Black woman, being able to go up to her and talk about those things, she felt heard."
Police calls can take unexpected, even dangerous turns. Payne said she wore a bulletproof vest to calls, but she rarely worried about her safety.
"In the back of your mind, there's always that thought of 'anything could happen.' But I never felt like I was in any real danger," she said. And officers also ensured a scene was safe before social workers went out. "Any communication I had with someone, one of the officers was aware of," she said.
"The police department is committed to making sure that the safety of the [social worker] is attended to," Darby said. "They've been so understanding with the role that the social worker has, and make sure that they're not in a dangerous position."
Darby said social workers can provide follow-up attention that police may not be able to offer. She pointed out that often officers arrest people who have issues with drug use, but those people should have been referred to social service agencies that deal with drug usage instead.
Coffee said the social workers freed up police for tasks more directly related to policing. Once the program got underway in Wilkinsburg last year, "By the summertime people were coming to the station and asking for them instead of us."
