Kewanee, IL | Local Initiatives Support Corporation

The Kewanee Police Department (KPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the rural city of Kewanee, Illinois, the largest town in Henry County. The community has experienced a significant increase in the number of weapons- and methamphetamine-related offenses, and incidents involving persons suffering from mental health crises. The calls for service to KPD have also increased 11% in 2022 over the average of the previous four years. This increase in the calls reduces the amount of manpower that can proactively address the rising crimes. Officers previously assigned to the Street Crimes Unit, which is dedicated to targeting violent crime and the distribution of narcotics in the Kewanee area, were diverted to address shortages on the patrol staff, resulting in a 73% drop in the arrest rate for narcotic-related offenses in 2020 and a 79% increase in crimes involving weapons, most of which are linked to the narcotics trade. KPD needed access to professionals who were trained in crisis management to reduce the time needed to spend on calls for service.

Among several proactive policing strategies, KPD created a partnership with several different community stakeholders to form Drug Addiction Response Team (DART) that will provide counseling options and resources for people suffering from addiction and mental health issues, and aid in developing relationships with local organizations to reach out to the local youth and other key populations. KPD staff the DART program with a DART Advocacy Detective in the KPD Street Crimes Unit. Trained in CIT and de-escalation, the DART Advocacy Detective responds to both emergency and routine calls for any community member experiencing mental health issues, providing support with immediate assessments through a trauma-informed lens. Other team members include: a mental health therapist from the Henry/Stark Health Department to help individuals suffering from mental health issues; a drug rehabilitation counselor from Bridgeway to provide guidance for seeking treatment for drug addiction; a representative from the Youth Services Bureau for juveniles and young adults needing assistance; a board member from the Kewanee Commission on Human Relations to assist with family or community difficulties; and a representative from the Henry County Probation Services to provide oversight for deferred prosecution when applicable.