Summit Pointe Podcast
Highlighting stories and resources from Summit Pointe, the behavioral health authority in Calhoun County, Michigan.
Summit Pointe Podcast
How A Law Enforcement Liaison Streamlines Mental Health Responses
In this Summit Pointe podcast, we explore how a law enforcement liaison helps officers and clinicians navigate mental health codes, paperwork, and real-time decisions.
Former law enforcement officer and Summit Pointe staffer Aaron Smith also discusses officer wellness with practical tools to spot stress early and reset after shift.
Episode Resources
Summit Pointe
Careers at Summit Pointe
Crisis Intervention Team – CIT
Summit Pointe Podcast 95 is a Livemic Communications production.
Check out the Careers page on the Summit Point website. The link is in the show notes
Summit Pointe, the Behavioral Health Authority in Calhoun County, Michigan, is pioneering Community Mental Health Services by developing innovative ideas and community partnerships that lead to high-quality care and a healthy community.
I'm Richard Piet. This is the Summit Point podcast. Summit Point, the Behavioral Health Authority in Calhoun County, Michigan, around Battle Creek, and all around the county. That's where Summit Point is, Community Mental Health Authority here. And in fact, we're speaking to you after having deployed a number of episodes, about a hundred, really, at the point that we're talking right now. And so we invite you to subscribe to the Summit Point podcast where you get them. Just look for us there, point with an E, and subscribe. You'll be alerted when these episodes come available. And we invite you to do that. A number of different subjects we've covered along the way. Today we're talking a little bit more. We've talked about it on several occasions with different folks, but the notion of a connection between law enforcement and behavioral health. Aaron Smith is here from Summit Point, having had a background in law enforcement in Callan County, and now works in this capacity with Summit Point, about which we will learn now. Hello, Aaron. Good morning. How are you? I'm well. Thanks for this uh chance. So talk about what the importance of a connection between law enforcement and behavioral health is and why.
Aaron Smith:Yeah, there's a big need for it because I think the biggest thing is that when you're talking about the behavioral health component, there are things here that come from summit points, such as mental health petitions, pickup orders, uh, a lot of those things that the courts send over that most law enforcement officers have very little, if any, training for whatsoever. So when agencies receive these pickup orders, the officers look at them and and they don't understand why, for instance, maybe a judge's signature isn't on some of them, or specifically what they're supposed to do with this paperwork, how that whole process works. So if there isn't somebody to kind of go between the two agencies and navigate that, that can cause a lot of you know separation and quite frankly, a lot of bad blood between the two agencies. I don't want to say bad blood, but just the miscommunications and the expectations aren't there. So that's a very important piece. Makes it difficult.
Richard Piet:Well, you know, it's interesting because some of us might have expected you to talk about, and I'm sure we will, the notion of good mental health among law enforcement officers as well as the customers of Summit Point, right? But what you just described is a very practical and key component because the two entities interact pretty often.
Aaron Smith:Yeah, absolutely. And with you know, coming from the law enforcement background to Summit Point, I myself was unaware of a lot of these issues within the mental health code. You know, what does this mean? What is this paperwork? And of course, you know, in law enforcement, just like anybody else, it's all about reading that paperwork and what does it mean and what does this give us the authority to do, and so on and so forth. So that's a very critical piece to this relationship.
Richard Piet:Is there paperwork? I can't imagine. Yeah, just a little bit. Just it's funny you say that. I was watching a police drama the other day, and the officers were dealing with a situation, and they had an opportunity to go out and investigate something, and one said to the other, Do you want to stay here and do paperwork or do you want to come with me and figure this out?
Aaron Smith:Yeah.
Richard Piet:Well, I'm sure it doesn't always work out that way, but you get the point that of course there's some red tape sometimes involved. I don't mean to make light of it, but uh the the point is the role that you're playing is one that helps educate both sides and then connects them in a productive way, right?
Aaron Smith:Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Because I mean, once you have that communication piece between both agencies, so to speak, and you can navigate both sides of that, bring them together, and then say, this is how we're gonna move forward, makes things a lot, lot smoother.
Richard Piet:Yeah, and I presume that your background helps lend credibility to the process. Someone who might be on the law enforcement side, who, as you say, might not be familiar with whatever this paperwork is that's a part of a situation they're dealing with, knowing you're there as a person who was once in their shoes to help smooth things over, make things a little easier, that has to be helpful.
Aaron Smith:Absolutely. I mean, because a big part of first coming to Summit Point was learning all of that process, the paperwork, the court orders. And then once learning all of that, then going back to the law enforcement agencies and saying, this is what this means, this is what you know, authority you have, authority you don't have, because there's a lot of different things in law enforcement, you know, when it comes to criminal intent, criminal law is what we go by. So then when you see mental health code and you're saying that officers have by law the ability to take somebody into protective custody for mental health, then it kind of opens up a Pandora's box of questions from them in terms of what is their responsibility moving forward. So just bringing all that together, navigating all of that and helping both sides, both agencies is what I try to do.
Richard Piet:You know, it's interesting you say both sides because I was just having the thought, listening to you, that this happens the other way too, doesn't it? We have folks, mental health professionals working at Summit Point, who may have a customer who is in a situation where law enforcement is involved. Now they have to have an understanding of what's happening on the other side as well. You're serving that connectiveness on both sides.
Aaron Smith:Yeah, absolutely. And then um, it's like training civilians and law enforcement and bringing them together. Because if somebody from Summit Point has a customer and they feel that they need to call law enforcement, absolutely, for your safety, that's first and foremost. But then when the officers get there, what is their role? Because they're there to enforce criminal law, not necessarily mental health code. However, there are some circumstances in which law enforcement can utilize their authority within mental health code, it's not necessarily criminal law. So there's a whole lot to swim through there and try to figure out for sure.
Richard Piet:Yeah. And it was clear then that someone such as yourself who could have a wealth of law enforcement knowledge brought to the table, but also learn this other side of it was a key component. But, you know, let's just try and understand, too, the notion of wellness, because that's the business we're in, right? At some point is uh helping folks be well, that there is concern about officer wellness and law enforcement appreciation day that comes along in January. We take time to tip our hats, but also to hopefully be sure that those who are in this business are well and stay that way. What are some of the thoughts you have about all of that? And I imagine that when law enforcement folks learn about what you're doing now and the complement of experiences that you've had, you might make connections that way too for them.
Aaron Smith:Yeah. Yeah, I've always been uh for quite a few years a proponent of officer wellness and everybody within the first responder community because it is a very, very unique career. We are problem solvers, we are fixers, we are all of these things, and we don't realize the toll that this job will take on us after a certain amount of time. You just go from one thing to the next, to the next, right? And then at some point you might realize that, hey, you're viewing the world differently. You're you're not engaged as much as you were. You've got to take all of this stuff that you do during the day and this guard that you have put up, and then you have to go home. And most of us have families, and so there's two different roles that you play, and it's very hard to turn that off. And then, you know, if we had a lot more time, I explain how over time the honeymoon phase of this job and this career wears off, and you're finding yourself like, man, all of these things are going on. Unfortunately, within the first responder community, we typically tend to resort to lifestyles that are not healthy, right? We are very well known for high divorce rates, high alcohol abuse rates, suicide rate, very, very high amongst first responders. So we have to learn how to be aware of these things and know that, hey, you know what? It's okay to not be okay, I guess is kind of the general phrase these days, but to really just pump the brakes a little bit and say, you know what, I'm starting to have some issues here and be okay with that.
Richard Piet:And there's probably some, I presume, for some at least, some um barrier to accessing what would help alleviate a lot of that for folks in law enforcement because they're supposed to be the fixers, right? We're supposed to be able to handle things ourselves in this occupation. Is that true? And how do you get around that?
Aaron Smith:Absolutely. It's true. Again, because we are the problem solvers, the fixers. Every time we go on a call, that's what we're expected to do, is fix the problem. And the barriers, of course, to seeking help a lot of the times are just the first and foremost, the lack of self-awareness and saying, Man, I'm really struggling. Well, what does that look like for you? You know, usually it manifests itself in bad behaviors before anybody else around us notices. So I always tell first responders, like, there are resources out there and there are things available to you, but you have to be the first one to step out and be willing to say, all right, time out, let's figure something out. And then I think a lot of times when it comes to counseling and therapy, we're a very closed-off community, of course, and we're very untrusting. So, you know, there's that barrier. Is this gonna help? And so on and so forth. And it it just goes down the chain of a lot of those things. But my my biggest thing is to tell these first responders and these officers, like, listen, we're not out here selling car insurance, and this is a very, very unique job, which creates a very unique culture, and this is what's gonna happen if you don't start taking care of some of the stuff.
Richard Piet:Yeah. In fact, you anticipate what I was gonna ask. Are there some initial signs that you see that are common when a person in law enforcement is starting to have some things with which they need to deal that they can watch out for? You talked about the self-awareness. What are some of the early things that maybe some folks, you know, they have a blinder on or something and they're not quite paying attention to?
Aaron Smith:I think the biggest thing for us in terms of the self-awareness is just what is the perspective that you have on the job now versus when you first started? Because when we all get into this job, it's very fast-paced, adrenaline, all of these great things. We call it the honeymoon phase, and everything is really great. But when you start noticing that you're going to the same types of calls over and over, and now you're forming a little bit of a an attitude or a bitterness, or you're starting to find that now I need to go home and maybe you're starting to cope with some alcohol or something that you never did before. But I say the first thing is really what's your attitude towards the job itself, and what's your attitude towards other people in general? And that's usually the biggest and first indicator I try to tell people to be aware of.
Richard Piet:You talk about the honeymoon face, uh, that adrenaline and that problem-solving thing is probably a lot of the motivation for someone to choose this career, and then we find out later it doesn't feel the same or affect you the same way over time, which is notable, of course. And so how do we try and deal with that then? Is it time away? Is it are there tools to try to to leave it at work? I don't know how you always do that, but what is it that happens that helps folks?
Aaron Smith:I mean, there are several tools, and I try to give officers several tools and just tell them what might work for me may not work for you. But, you know, kind of a self-evaluation. Take your uniform off at work and try to do something on the way home that that switches that role off. Now you're going home and your dad, your husband, your all of these other things. What are you doing? Have a hobby outside of work. Have friends that aren't police officers. Now, my best friends to this day are police officers, but to have social things outside of work and hobbies outside of work, have time for self-care, right? Go to church, meditate, do those things that maybe you used to do before you got into this job. That once you got into this job, it just completely can take over your full identity. So, really, you know, in the classes that I do, I just offer a ton of tools and say, do something, do something. But first thing is to me, that recognition and that self-awareness has to be first.
Richard Piet:I suppose that's easier for some people than others. Some people can take notice of things happening with them, physically, mentally, whatever it might be, maybe more readily than others. That's as you say, could be different for different people. But I think what you're saying is try to look for what might be different and might be affecting you. Consciously do it. Is that true? Absolutely.
Aaron Smith:And we don't want to listen sometimes to other people, especially if it's a significant other. But when you have friends or family members that might be noticing a change in you, you have to listen to them. We often dismiss it, right? And say, well, it's because of this or this, or it's because of society, or it's because we we'll make excuses and we'll take upon ourselves like a victim mentality. But I would say, like, if you can have a loved one, a friend or something, if they start calling you out on maybe some of these behaviors or attitude changes, that's a huge indicator that maybe you should start taking notice of that.
Richard Piet:Boy, yeah, the folks closest to you see the unvarnished you, do they not? And they can provide a perspective. Do some folks in this profession say to those folks closest to them, tell me if you see something different about me. I don't imagine that's easy to do.
Aaron Smith:No, I think it's probably there might be some out there, so I don't want to speak for everybody, but I can tell you that that's probably pretty rare because you do change. Your perspective on everything changes, and you don't want to be told that, hey, you're starting to have some of these issues that I'm seeing. I'm starting, you know, you were gonna put up a defensive posture because again, we are the fixers, we are the doers, we are the problem solvers. It's a reflex. Absolutely. And if somebody sees or notices a crack in our armor, we're gonna be the first to defend ourselves. So that's very, very difficult to do.
Richard Piet:Just a few minutes to talk about officer wellness and uh what that can mean. But overall, even the practical part of the position that you hold with Summit Point, how do you suppose that has been helpful? I think we've inferred to it, but let's see. What have you observed, maybe even a success story, where you were involved in this liaison effort of sorts that brought both sides into a situation that helped bring clarity? What have you observed?
Aaron Smith:I think in this role it's been more for the benefit of the customer, from the point customer, right? Of you got officers out there that that truly do want to help. I had one officer call me on my personal phone one day and was really trying to get this gal into a substance abuse rehab and all of these things. So that, you know, having me directly down here, we were able to speed up that process. I connected him with a recovery coach down here at first step, who's phenomenal, and they made it happen. And so to me, that's what this job is all about. That was like a win-win from both sides, and then moving forward, that officer is able to tell some of the other officers out there on the streets, like, hey, call this guy or call this person, call this gal, make the connections themselves, and then that way they're developing and building their relationships with Summit Point with the customers that they're dealing with on the streets, and it's just a win-win. Word gets out, doesn't it?
Richard Piet:Yeah, for sure. Wow. So contemplate that for a moment. If this connection that you facilitated had gone the typical path, it might have been longer and it might have then had plenty of opportunity to get diverted somehow and might not have carried out the way it did.
Aaron Smith:Yeah, I mean, ultimately, what would happen? Somebody that's on the streets with a substance use disorder finds their way in the criminal justice system, as opposed to, hey, let's get them down to first step. Summit Point has a wonderful jail team down there as well, but we also want to, if we can stop that process at the road level when the officers are dealing with them, then that's an even bigger win. So, yeah, not having these connections, most of our folks, most of our customers from Summit Point, unfortunately, will probably end up in the criminal justice system before we can end up having that breaching, making that connection, so to speak.
Richard Piet:Yeah. A greater, even greater societal impact. We're not even talking about the person here for a second. Let's just look at it from the outside. A societal impact that's greater in the community than had they been diverted to resources sooner and the progress recognized faster. Yeah, absolutely. Well, this is what we're talking about here, folks. We have folks at Summit Point and and thus by extension, other communities like the law enforcement community who are out there daily facilitating assistance for your neighbors in a way that maybe you don't expect until you hear these kinds of stories. And Aaron Smith is among those whose career in law enforcement allows for a particular perspective that then has created this liaison situation between law enforcement and summit point that uh is a productive one. I really appreciate hearing about this and best of luck to you. Be good to talk with you again in, I don't know, a couple of years and hear more about how the things you've been doing that you've recognized have been helpful have played out. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks very much. Uh-huh. Thank you. Appreciate it. Aaron Smith, Summit Point, here on the Summit Point Podcast. Working at Summit Point means you're not just part of a team, you're joining a mission. We make a meaningful difference every day in the lives of those we serve. If you're looking for a workplace where your voice is valued, your growth is supported, and your work has a purpose, you found the right place. Check out the Careers page on the Summit Point website. The link is in the show notes.