CLEVELAND — Big changes are happening in the way University Circle Police respond to metal health calls. This all comes on the heels of a News 5 Investigation into the violent arrest of a woman in a Cleveland cemetery who was experiencing mental health problems. Now, UC is hoping a new hire will help in these kinds of situations.
Watch Investigator Jonathan Walsh's full report for details and video of what happened:
Latoya Wilson, in May of 2022, was walking around Lake View Cemetery chanting loudly and refusing to leave when University Circle Police arrived.
Three UC officers who responded that day ended up forcefully arresting Wilson, who has schizoaffective disorder and said she was hallucinating during her walk in the cemetery. In the end, her arm was broken, and there was a settlement for $90,000 against University Circle.
Our investigation showed officers John Garbo, Bradley Nicholson and Timothy Caine had been trained on how to handle mental health calls, but the way Wilson was handled that day did not follow that training.
We have now confirmed the UC Police Department has hired a crisis intervention specialist to assist on mental calls, just like Wilson’s case.
It will be similar to what Shaker Heights has donewith it’s mental health responses when it hired a trained social worker to go out with police, fire, or ambulance calls when mental health expertise is needed.
Our follow-through report in Shaker Heights includes more details on the changes and what led up to them:
We asked for on-camera interviews with the new UC Police Chief, but he was not available, and we were told the new President of University Circle, Kate Borders, was not in the office today.
The police department did post on its Facebook page that CIS Jaenin Deskin “will be working closely with our police officers and dispatchers as we work to help those in need.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Borders sent us this statement about the new hire:
"UCPD is excited to report that we started our first ever Crisis Intervention Specialist (CIS) co-responder program and Tuesday was the first day for Jaenin Deskin who is our first crisis intervention specialist. This cutting edge program will help us better serve our customers who have mental health challenges. Jaenin will be working part time for UCPD, and is also a full time CIS working for the Greater Cleveland RTA Police Department. Prior to working with GCRTA, Jaenin Deskin was an assistant professor within South Korea for approximately six years. She has a breadth of previous social service experience working with the Chatham County Department of Children and Family Services in Savannah Georgia as a supervisor for foster care services. She’s previously worked for Beech Brook, Cuyahoga County Department of Family and Children Services, and NEON Health Services.
"Our program will pair Jaenin with a CIT (crisis intervention trained) UCPD Officer and they will work as a Co-responder Team (CRT). The team is defined as follows: A sworn UCPD officer paired with a CIS to assist in providing safety, outreach, linkages to services, and enforcement of the law to individuals experiencing mental health crises, housing insecurities, and / or drug and alcohol addictions. Jaenin will also work with our community partners to establish bridges to social services.
"This new team of committed public servants will have a powerful impact on providing improved services to those who are struggling with mental health challenges. This new program will also help us build bridges of trust within our community as we are demonstrating a true commitment to better serve those who are struggling with mental health challenges. This innovative approach will improve our overall service model and we are thrilled to have someone like Jaenin on our team."
