SSP Police renews contract
for embedded social worker
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
For nearly three years, Dakota County social worker Rachel Dean has worked full time from her office in the South St. Paul Police Department, performing follow-up check-ins with people the department has served on calls related to mental health, drug use and domestic violence issues. She works with officer Randy Boyden, who recently celebrated 15 years on the force, and together they respond to about 375 cases annually. Their work began as a pilot program through the County and has proven so effective that nearly every police department in Dakota County now has an embedded social worker. To better measure the success of the program, the County recently partnered with the Wilder Foundation to develop a way to track how many people obtain the help recommended to them.
Having a social worker on staff has helped reduce emergency calls to the police department, allowing officers to focus on other tasks. According to South St. Paul Police Chief Brian Wicke, the social worker program began due to an increase in 911 calls related to mental health, and because officers were facing increasingly dangerous situations and had little training in dealing with people in mental health crisis.
“Everything culminated in 2018 when an individual in crisis shot at four of our officers, hitting one,” he said.
Every morning, Boyden reviews the previous day’s police reports looking for those that include a mental health or chemical dependency component, then discusses with Dean whether a person involved would benefit from additional outreach. Contact is made either by phone or knocking on the person’s door and trying to meet them in person. Dean, a licensed therapist, commonly offers people a few therapy sessions in their home.
“I can meet with them individually, with a family, or with children, depending on the situation, and really work intensively with them to address their current situation and get them set up with longer term support,” said Dean. “We do get a fair amount of people that don’t want the help and that’s fine, but the next time there’s another police call [involving them], I’m still going to reach out again…. We just had somebody in two or three weeks ago that was not receptive and didn’t want anything from me six months ago, but now he’s working with me and we’re making some progress.”
Dean, who has 20 years of experience in social work, said she’s never felt endangered while in this post, even when conducting a second or third check-in without officer Boyden. She connects with people of all ages and backgrounds, including women with postpartum depression, elderly people with dementia and other health issues, and even elementary age students with behavioral issues.
Among the success stories, one has stuck with Dean.
“There was a guy who had a very serious suicide attempt after losing his job and being evicted from his home,” she said. “It was a really scary scene, and we attempted follow-up with him multiple times, but we weren’t getting anywhere. I had assumed that he was still in the hospital, so I called multiple hospitals and eventually found him and connected with him.” The man just recently moved into a new apartment and started full-time school to pursue a different career.
“It’s only because of this program that something like that was able to happen,” she added. “Otherwise, he just would have been discharged from the hospital to the street, and he had no insurance and no way to access medical care or psychiatric care once he got out.”
Dean said this role allows her to help people who would otherwise likely fall through the cracks. In addition to providing therapy, she can help people find short-term housing and secure temporary care for their pets through the Animal Humane Society. Dean said people don’t need to have immediate mental health or drug issues to be at risk of a crisis, and that many don’t believe the issues they’re facing are bad enough to warrant seeking help.
“I really wish that there was more that could be done to take the stigma out of calling [Dakota County Crisis Response Unit for help],” she said. “They’re truly just a gateway to all the help that the County can offer for free… A good example would be witnessing a terrible car accident and afterwards you’re struggling and having flashbacks or not sleeping. Call for help. We can get people therapy appointments much quicker than just calling off the streets.”
The police department also has a part-time Dakota County social worker on staff, Serene Bachman, who joins officers on emergency calls involving people in crisis. Bachman splits her time between the South St. Paul Police Department and Mendota Heights Police Department.
The Department’s commitment to mental health applies to its officers as well. Each officer currently receives two wellness visits with a therapist each year and has access to a mobile app that offers additional resources to them and their family members. Additionally, this year it started working with a health care provider who offers advanced cardiac testing, bloodwork, and nutrition and fitness support.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or in need of help to avoid a crisis, call 952-891-7171.
The South St. Paul Police Department has 34 officers and one more is joining after the new year. Two of them are School Resource Officers at South St. Paul Public Schools. The department has an overall budget of about $8.9 million, which is up from $8.6 million in 2024. As of October, assault was the most reported crime in South St. Paul in 2024, with 122 cases documented – up from 107 in 2023. Other top categories where 120 accounts of larceny and 68 accounts credit card/automatic teller machine fraud. The former increased by 3 accounts and the latter by 47 from 2023. Notably, vandalism dropped from 144 cases to 100. Looking ahead, South St. Paul Police Chief Brian Wicke is optimistic that the department will hire another patrol supervisor, assign another officer to its mental health unit, increase support for rental property owners, and implement a crime reduction team who will answer 911 calls and assist the department’s investigative division during high demand incidents.
