March 15, 2025

Immigration enforcement, a study on suicidal ideation, and a play partially based on ICAT

PERF members,

Here are a few items I found interesting this past week.

How Wisconsin sheriffs are assisting with immigration enforcement

This week the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an article about variation in how Wisconsin sheriffs are assisting with immigration enforcement. Reporters sent surveys to all 72 Wisconsin sheriffs and received responses from 56 of them.

I see their responses as typical of the varying attitudes toward immigration enforcement in local law enforcement agencies across the country. Some sheriffs expressed concerns about whether victims or witnesses may now be reluctant to come forward. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said, “We want to protect victims and survivors of any sort of crime, no matter what their status is. We will protect them in Dane County.”

Others said immigration isn’t an issue that should be handled by local agencies or that their agencies could not afford the cost of taking part in federal immigration enforcement programs. “There’s no reward or benefit for a sheriff to be in these programs,” Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera said.

But some have been more supportive of the federal government’s efforts. At a state assembly hearing, Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson said, “When [the Department of Homeland Security] needs the help of my county to detain an inmate who is in the Racine County Jail, who’s a part of a terror group, who’s a cartel member, or is trafficking women and children, you had better bet that Racine County is here to help those federal law enforcement officers.”

Perhaps the most thoughtful comments in the article come from Kewaunee County Sheriff Matthew Joski, whose perspective was published in a local news outlet last month:

“I believe that we can continue our aggressive approach of rooting out those who prey upon our communities while at the same time creating an effective pathway for those who came to our country to pursue their dreams, better themselves, and, in the process, improve the communities they have settled in. I have to believe that we can do better than telling families they need to travel back to their country of origin, uprooting their children from the only reality they have ever known, to navigate the uncertainty and danger that awaits them.

“There are those who would say that it was their choice to come here illegally, but you must understand that for many, their journey was out of desperate necessity, navigated in an immigration environment which, at best, was ambiguous and at worse, inaccessible.”

New study on suicidal ideation in law enforcement

In a new study in the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, researchers Kathleen Padilla from Texas State University and Daniel Lawrence and Jessica Dockstader from the CNA Corporation surveyed nearly 900 law enforcement employees from eight agencies about their mental health. The study’s findings include the following:

• 18.9 percent of respondents had contemplated suicide.
• 3.1 percent of respondents had attempted suicide—more than five times the national average of 0.6 percent.
• According to a screening tool, survey respondents had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a rate more than twice the national average (18.0 percent vs. 8.5 percent).
• More female respondents (21.5 percent) had contemplated suicide than male respondents (16.8 percent).
• Respondents working in large agencies were more likely to report suicidal ideation than those working in medium-sized agencies, who in turn were more likely to report it than those working in small agencies.
• Respondents who reported being in worse physical health and having higher levels of alcohol consumption were more likely to also report suicidal ideation than those in better physical health or with lower levels of alcohol consumption.
• Those who reported better mental health were less likely to also report suicidal ideation than those whose mental health was already poor.

The researchers conclude, “These results highlight the vital role that enhanced mental health plays in reducing suicidal ideation and underscore the importance for law enforcement agencies to prioritize staff wellness by implementing comprehensive wellness programs.”

A preprint of the full paper is available at this link. PERF published a report on preventing officer suicide in 2019 and will be releasing a report on officer wellness programs in the coming weeks.

New York State First Responder Mental Health Needs Assessment

The Benjamin Center at the State University of New York at New Paltz recently released an evaluation of the state’s first responders’ mental health needs.Promising ideas identified in the evaluation include the following:

• “Development of a statewide or regional peer support network, trained to address first responder issues and available 24/7
• “Development of a cadre of culturally competent therapists, through the creation of a first responder-focused certificate or micro-credential that can be taken as part of graduate mental health counseling programs
• “Mandatory annual, or more frequent, mental health wellness checks
• “Access to wellness activities, such as gym memberships, department-wide events, and collegial activities that connect first responders to their peers and the community
• “Policy-level discussions, and introduction of legislation where appropriate, about ways to mitigate stress in work environments (e.g., long hours, overtime, training for leadership) and increase access to mental health care (e.g., reduced co-pays, discounted services, paid time to seek care)”

I encourage everyone to review the full report, as I suspect the issues are very similar in other states.

Use of AI to protect student safety

The Associated Press and Seattle Times published a report this week about a Washington state school district’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor student safety. The technology was implemented with good intentions. School officials wanted to know when school counselors and other staff should reach out to students who may be at risk of experiencing mental health crises, committing acts of violence, developing addictions, or other safety concerns.

But use of this technology raises privacy concerns. The school district did not have tight protections on students’ personal writing, and this reporting was possible only because “Seattle Times and Associated Press reporters inadvertently received access to almost 3,500 sensitive, unredacted student documents through a records request about the district’s surveillance technology.”

I think this reporting demonstrates both the promise and peril of AI and other surveillance technologies. Those responsible for public safety, such as school officials and police, want access to technologies that can help them do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. But if these tools are implemented without proper privacy safeguards, there will likely be backlash to their usage. Officials in this Washington school district defended their use of this technology and said they intend to continue using it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if parents, students, and others push back and say the privacy intrusion isn’t worth it.

D.C. play The Scenarios based in part on ICAT

I was surprised to learn that there is currently a play at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., based in part on ICAT’s scenario-based training. The synopsis, according to the play’s website: “Angie, an actor, has just landed her weirdest gig yet: improvising scenes with active-duty cops, helping to train them to respond to people in acute mental crisis. But when the backstage tensions and workplace hijinks begin to pull focus from the training’s actual goal—to save lives—Angie tries making things a little more real.” The online background information about the play discusses ICAT and CIT at length.

The play received a positive review in The Washington Post. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend, but two PERF staff members did earlier this week and recommended it. So if you’re in Washington in the next three weeks, you should go check it out!

Former Detroit police chief James Craig to run for mayor

Finally, James Craig, who led the Detroit Police Department from 2013 to 2021, has announced his candidacy for the city’s mayor. This campaign follows unsuccessful runs for governor in 2022 and U.S. Senate in 2024. It’s less common than one might expect for a police chief to go on to serve as a mayor, though Jane Castor in Tampa and Jerry Dyer in Fresno are two current examples who come to mind.

Best,

Chuck