St. Joseph County sheriff creates mental health liaison officer position

St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman wants to make sure the people who need to be in jail are the ones who are actually in jail.

He has appointed Cpl. Daniel Banicki as the new mental health liaison officer for the department.

"I've done [almost 21] years as a patrol officer, so I've dealt with a lot of mental illness on the job," Banicki explained. "I've also got some family that have some mental health issues. I've got a nephew that has autism. [Mental health] has always been a passion of mine."

Banicki said the sheriff is fulfilling a campaign promise to genuinely help the community. As the liaison, Banicki will work with inmates once they leave the jail and pair them with appropriate mental health treatment locally.

"We want people to understand we're there to help them to stay out of jail, stay out of trouble," Banicki explained.

The hope is to prevent repeat visits by people whose needs might be as simple as getting a ride to a counseling appointment or taking the proper medications.

Local taxpayers stand to gain from the increased county police focus on mental health.

"People with mental health [issues], if we keep them out of jail, it's going to help the community because, first off, it's less money for us as taxpayers to pay for them to be in jail for no reason," Banicki said. "If we can get them the mental health [treatment that] they need, keep them on their medications, they're going to be a better neighbor for you and me and everybody else in the community."

Banicki said he is reaching out to other community stakeholders to inquire about obtaining free rides for residents who need mental health treatment. He's already in talks with a Medicare/Medicaid-funded transportation service based in Indianapolis.

The longtime officer is also spearheading Project Lifesaver, a program that helps people who have a tendency to wander, such as Alzheimer's and dementia patients, people who have suffered a severe head injury or people with autism.

"We want to keep our fragile citizens safe," Banicki said.

With Project Lifesaver, the at-risk individuals wear a bracelet that looks like a hospital bracelet. If they wander, families call the police, who can find the missing person within an hour from when the call is made using a receiver device.

Banicki believes only two sheriff's departments in the state of Indiana have mental health liaison officers.