Connecticut’s Police Accountability Law will be one year old as of July 31. A provision of that law calls on police departments to at least consider having social workers accompany police or respond exclusively on assistance calls where mental health may be more of an issue than criminality. One place this is actually happening is in Willimantic, where the Police Department has partnered with Eastern Connecticut State University to form a pilot program that places undergrad social work student interns with officers. Willimantic Police Chief Paul Hussey and program leader Lt Matthew Solak joined "All Things Considered" to talk about the pilot program and what it could mean for the future of assigning some assistance calls to social workers instead of to officers.
John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.
