Anthony Rauschendorfer, a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and attorney for the university's Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services, recently spoke with WCCO-TV about a new opportunity provided by the Minneapolis Police Department, which will allow social workers like him to step in alongside police officers to improve responses to mental health-related incidents.
From the story:
Rauschendorfer says he'd love to be part of the 911 response.
The job description on the county's website says social workers will "respond when needed with law enforcement to calls in the community."
"It's a lot to ask each individual profession or group to address really complex needs," Rauschendorfer said. "Having more than one professional on board to try to support that is very important I think."
Hennepin County social workers are already embedded in more than a dozen suburban police departments.
