O’Hara officials considering adding social worker to police force
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O’Hara Council will discuss the possible addition of a social worker to the township’s police force and internship opportunities as part of budget talks that begin in the coming months, O’Hara Manager Julie Jakubec said.
Sharpsburg plans to introduce a social worker intern in August. If approved, that person would serve the borough from August through April.
Both communities heard presentations from Hampton Township police Chief Thomas Vulakovich and Hampton Social Services coordinator Angela Kenbok about how the social worker program in Hampton has been a boon for the township and how it could help other communities.
Vulakovich and Kenbok made a presentation to O’Hara Council in June, and it drew a positive response.
“I am blown away by the breadth of the program and the impact you’ve had in the length of time that you’ve had it available. It’s something certainly that we should definitely look at,” Councilman George Stewart said.
“My gut reaction is I can’t think of anything else that would have a better impact on our community wellness and mental health and the community in general. You do so much stuff, it’s mind boggling.”
Jakubec called it a very exciting and different program.
“It’s in support of the police. It’s to help the police provide additional services to individuals who may need them. The police do a great job, but there’s only so much time they can (spend) to help get folks services they may need.”
Council Vice President Karen Pilarski-Pastor said via a July 12 email to the Tribune-Review that borough officials spoke with Kenbok and Vulakovich back in March.
“While police officers are trained to provide emergency assistance at the time of the incident, social workers are able to step in and provide ongoing social and therapeutic services, therefore addressing the needs with the hope of stopping any reoccurring issues,” Pilarski-Pastor said.
“The position would provide social and therapeutic services, community engagement, networking and collaboration. The social worker will focus on the needs of the community and will provide individualized services through referrals.”
Vulakovich told O’Hara Council that when he started police work in 1986, police had cases involving mental health issues, drug and alcohol case issues, “you name it.”
Police can respond to make sure no one’s hurt, but it can’t provide the social services that are needed, he said.
”We do the public safety part of it. We try to make recommendations, and we call outside agencies.”
Those agencies are usually through Allegheny County, such as Resolve, a 24-hour crisis service that is free to county residents. That began to change in Hampton a few years ago after Slippery Rock University contacted the township about a social services internship program. The university would provide social workers to help the community.
Kenbok and another intern were welcomed by Hampton in August 2020. The department provided a workspace and officers would take them out into the community and on various calls.
They helped drug users seek treatment, consoled people after accidents and other emergencies and documented reports if someone wanted to accept social services, among other tasks.
Kenbok said they assisted 176 individuals and families in a little more than eight months.
“It was probably the best thing that I’ve ever participated in my career, and I’ve done a lot,” Vulakovich said. “This brought a service into our community.
“You have no idea the rewards you will reap from this …. This position was needed many many years ago.”
The program was so successful that the township hired Kenbok, an Emsworth native, full time in May.
She has worked for about eight years in the drug and alcohol field in out-patient, in-patient, individual and group therapy. She graduated from Slippery Rock in 2021 with a master’s in social work, specializing in forensics.
Kenbok said any interns from Slippery Rock would have gone through the same program and training that she did at the university.
Kenbok networks with numerous agencies to help people get therapists, housing and other assistance. She hosts community events, including how to use yoga as a coping strategy, and trains officers on how to handle cases involving people with mood disorders, substance abuse and domestic violence.
Hampton has 22 police officers serving a population of about 20,000. O’Hara has 15 officers serving about 9,243 people.
Kenbok said the social worker program has expanded into Millvale, McCandless and Greenville in Mercer County.