The Naperville Police Department has launched a new effort to improve its response to mental health, domestic violence and missing persons calls, among others.
Responding to crises in Naperville
Members of the recently formed Mobile Crisis Intervention Team discussed their work at a media event Aug. 20.
The full-time unit was made official less than two months ago, though similar operations have been part of the department on a smaller scale since 2021.
The team includes a specially trained sergeant, officers, clinicians, and a K9.
“It’s really just a great collaborative approach to helping those persons in crisis,” Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said.
Creating the team
Naperville City Council approved funding for the program back in December, as part of the city’s 2026 Annual Budget.
The department used other law enforcement agencies– like the Crisis Action Team in Overland Park, Kansas– as benchmarks throughout the process of creating the MCIT, though Police Counselor Eirene Boulougouris said the only comparable unit in Illinois exists in Elgin.
Need by the numbers
Chief Arres said his agency responds to an average of 1,000 mental health calls per year, each one taking about two hours and involving at least one sergeant, plus two officers.
While over 90% of the department is crisis intervention training certified, Arres said a dedicated team was needed to respond to crisis calls, allowing patrol officers more time to fulfill their responsibilities elsewhere.
“Patrol may be closer to a call, so they may respond to triage the beginning of it until our mobile crisis unit can get there,” Arres said. “But then they’ll take that call over, which frees up the patrol officers to be back in the field to engage in proactive policing work, answer other calls on their beats, things of that nature.”
Additionally, Arres said data shows crisis response units lead to lower rates of recidivism. That means officers are going back to help the same individuals less often.
Lending a helping paw
Naperville’s MCIT is set apart by its Crisis Intervention Response Team K9, Chance.
His CIRT status means Chance is trained to support both trauma victims and first responders out in the field, helping to lower stress levels and provide relief to those in need.
“The K9, it can just break down a barrier. It’s just another tool we can introduce into a call to maybe de-escalate it, break down that hard shell a person may have while they’re in crisis, and they open up and talk,” Arres said.
His handler, Officer Kevin Merrihew, added that Chance can act as a point of connection between law enforcement and the people they serve.
“One of the examples I like to use is when you go through TSA, and you pick up your bag from the baggage claim and see a dog sniffing the bags,” Merrihew said. “You go, ‘Oh my goodness, look at the little puppy,’ right? But you don’t see the officer standing behind the puppy, wearing all the gear. Chance is exactly that guy that we brought onto our team.”
Community outreach
Counselor Boulougouris said the team is already partnering with mental health providers and other social service groups around Naperville to expand its reach.
“(We’re) just getting out there and introducing our officers, introducing us as a team instead of clinicians and officers. This is a whole team that’s able to support individuals in the community,” Boulougouris said.
That support extends beyond the team’s first interaction with someone in crisis.
Officer Justin Cunat said it involves taking time to make sure a person gets the care they need, connecting them with reliable resources and following up with them throughout the process.
“To actually see these calls through, versus – and it’s no fault of our own – on patrol, we have to go call to call to call, and then we pass it off,” Cunat said. “Usually it’s, go to the social workers or go to the clinicians. Now we actually get to see it all the way through to the end, and help somebody out. Could be six months, seven months or throughout the year.”
Tracking results
As for how the MCIT will measure success – the team said it’s a work in progress.
The number of calls responded to, recidivism rates and other data points will help inform how the unit goes forward.
Sergeant Jonathan Pope said the team will spend a week in November at a specialty training program, continuing to hone the skills that make their services so unique.
Counselor Boulougouris added that the MCIT will grow and evolve with the community.
“We’re gonna learn, we’re gonna make mistakes, but we’re also gonna make this the best it can be,” Boulougouris said.
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