“This is a community win for everyone”: LPD connects people in need with community resources

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lincoln Police Department is trying something new to empower its officers to connect the people they meet with resources that could make all the difference.

It’s a program that’s aimed at helping an underserved population gain access to basic needs like food, mental health support, and more.

“We meet more people than any other profession, we really do,” said Chief Teresa Ewins with LPD.

Lincoln police officers just doing their everyday jobs, and responding to calls can make an even bigger impact these days thanks to their new Observations for Service Community Resources Tool.

“You observe so much when you go into someone’s home, you observe that there’s food in the kitchen,” Ewins said. “You observe that the kids need clothes, you just observe mental health issues.”

Once an officer makes that observation, they can fill out a form on the computer in their cruiser and select services that a person or family needs. That’s the first step in making a referral.

It’s still early on in the program but as of early February, almost 40 referrals had been made for services like food, mental health care, and even booster seats.

“One situation was a woman, single mom, couple kids, she kept getting cited for not having a car seat,” Ewins said. “And so she expressed that to the officer and so what did the officer do? Connected her with our program and a car seat was provided.”

LPD said several of the referrals have gone to the Food Bank of Lincoln

“This is a community win for everyone,” said Alynn Sampson with the Food Bank. “I think that this partnership just deepens our relationship with the city.”

When the Food Bank can connect with someone who’s been referred, they give them information about their distribution, SNAP benefits, and other food programs.

“This really softens that approach to say, we are also here to make sure that you are safe and that you have your needs met,” Sampson said.

While some people end up being unreachable or not interested in any help, as of early February, almost 40% had been connected to resources to fulfill their needs.

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