Raleigh police, social workers work together to resolve, prevent mental health issues from becoming a crisis

With so many violent situations involving mental health issues and addiction, the Raleigh police department has created a proactive team.

The ACORNS team meets people where they are and tries to connect them with the help they need.

Many people living on the streets end up in trouble with the law. That’s why Raleigh police are partnering with social workers before they get into a crisis situation.

"As officers, we're not always thinking you just lock them up," said detective Wendy Clark. "We're trying to figure out a better way to make things happen."

The ACORNS team is made up of officers and social workers who get referrals to work with people after a crisis and to connect with people to prevent crises.

"They don't wake up in the morning, decide they're going to stand on the corner and sell drugs," Clark said. "There's a reason why they end up there."

Joining forces with officers is a very new model for social workers.

"This is pretty different from anything I've ever done," said Chelsea Levy, social worker. "Joining that, marrying that with police work, I think it's everything that I thought it would be."

The goal of the team is to build a rapport with people in the community.

“You kind of have to know that we're playing the long game with a lot of our friends here and that's okay,” Levy said. “Everyday that they're out of a crisis is a win.”

While a team like this isn’t going to change things overnight, they are making a difference.

The ACORNS team was created in August under the leadership of former Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown. It is made up of six members of law enforcement and three social workers.