Milford Police Department

Captain Garon Delmonte

Captain Delmonte is the task supervisor for the Police Social Work Program at his department. The program, a partnership with the Social Work and Law Enforcement Project, launched in summer 2021 with two interns and now includes two full-time social workers and one social work intern from SHU. 

Internship Program

Our social workers will respond to or work with individuals in crisis.  This crisis could take many forms, including homelessness, mental or emotional distress, psychological distress, grief, financial instability, juvenile issues, domestic violence or being the victim of a crime. Our social workers and social work interns have the ability to conduct on-scene assessments, provide follow-up care, review case logs/reports for proactive intervention and review referrals from police officers.

How does adding a social work component create more successful outcomes for law enforcement officials and the community?

A law enforcement response to someone in crisis can become cyclical for that individual. We as law enforcement respond when behavior(s) are no longer under control and have deviated away from what would be considered baseline for someone.  We then, typically, assure the person is transported to a medical facility where they can speak to a mental health professional, safeguarding them from harming themselves or someone else. The issue with this response is the lack of follow-up. When an individual is in crisis, there needs to be a matrix of care established so that proper services and resources can be put in place for this client to successfully avoid a future or repetitive crisis. Our social workers and this department have established effective partnerships with various community agencies and have a list of private practice providers from various disciplines that will accept referrals on our behalf for clients. Law enforcement alone cannot handle this for every person we encounter. The social workers can now intervene and implement a plan that is specific to the individual’s needs and has a higher probability of success; therefore, reducing recurrent critical events and eventually eliminating the repetitive law enforcement response to this individual. 

What does “social justice” mean to you?

Social justice at its core is about fairness and impartiality. This social work program advances the law enforcement goal of being procedurally just in all that we do. One of the phrases I've heard a lot when diving into the world of social work is "it takes a village." Our goal is to provide exemplary service to all people to live in, visit, pass through or connect with our community in some way.  This can only be accomplished through partnerships with social workers and other community agencies, so that we can all improve our cultural competency, give our clients access to more resources and strengthen our community connections.

How has the partnership been beneficial to both Sacred Heart and the police department?

We've partnered with several schools of social work throughout the state, but Sacred Heart has fully immersed themselves in this project with us.  This police department and SHU recognize that this partnership is long overdue and both professions cannot operate in silos and expect to be successful. We participate in webinars, classroom discussions, social work training/classes and other School of Social Work events. This partnership allows both SHU and MPD to advance this program with purpose and fidelity for ultimate success.