Program brings human service providers, police together to respond to 911 calls

By Kayla James

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    MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (KCCI) — A program in Marshalltown that brings human service providers and police officers together is getting people who dial 911 the direct help they need.

The Marshalltown Police and Community Team, also known as MPACT, is an intervention program used in the city to respond to non-emergent, non-criminal calls police respond to first. The calls typically cover a wide array of areas.

“We’ve been to homeless calls. We’ve been to mental health calls. We’ve been out with juveniles; domestic violence,” said Suzanne Reed, one of two community advocates with MPACT.

Reed works with Tiffany Beadle, who is also a community advocate.

Their office is found in the Marshalltown Police & Fire facility. MPACT stems from the collaboration between the Marshalltown Police Department and Youth Shelter & Services of Marshall County, an organization that provides mental health therapy, foster care support, supportive housing programs, and more.

“It’s helping us keep people out of the criminal justice system and we’re able to have a meaningful impact on our community,” said Marshalltown police Chief Michael Tupper.

Tupper and YSS of Marshall County’s director of engagement, David Hicks, started the program in 2020 with the city’s backing of $150,000.

“When a police officer shows up to a crisis call or a social services call, they’re bringing mostly law enforcement solutions to issues that require something completely different,” Tupper said.

“We can assist with that,” Hicks said. “We can get the officer to go back out on the street to do what they do with public safety and law enforcement.”

Partnership with police

At least six days out of the week, Beadle or Reed are in their office. The two are typically called out to a situation once a police officer deems it one where the two community advocates’ expertise is needed more than a police officer.

Both Beadle and Reed say the partnership with police officers is beyond helpful. While they respond to scenes, officers wait with them to make sure everything is safe. At times, Beadle or Reed will tell officers they feel like everything is fine and they’re good to go.

When they’re not responding to calls, Beadle and Reed both keep busy.

“Lots of times, we will go back through calls that we’ve dealt with maybe a month or two months ago and we check back in with those guys,” Reed said.

In 2023, the MPACT team responded to 362 calls. They followed up with people more than 500 times and provided resources.

“We can give them gas cards. We have food cards,” Beadle said. “We have the ability to put down a down payment for an apartment if that’s what somebody needs.”

According to YSS of Marshall County, the majority of calls MPACT responded to involved Marshalltown’s homeless population. There is not a shelter in the city, leaving Beadle and Reed to work with partners across Central Iowa to help out.

“For instance, I’ll call Bridge Home — which is the one in Ames — and make sure there’s space,” Beadle said.

Beadle said there are times they end up driving someone who is homeless from Marshalltown to Ames.

For many situations, the solution is more local.

“We really do just talk to people because sometimes that’s all people need,” Beadle said. “However, we do have the resources.”

The resources MPACT provides are something Brandy Glick, a mother in Marshalltown, knows about. She recalls the time she met Reed when the community advocate and police responded when she needed help with her daughter.

“We hadn’t been able to find her for an hour, so we ended up calling the police,” Glick said. “She (Reed) came that night.”

Glick says she ended up finding her daughter just minutes before Reed showed up. She found her hiding and sleeping in a cabinet. Glick told KCCI this isn’t the first time her daughter hid and led them to believe she was missing.

Glick says Reed stayed, listened, and found the right therapist for her daughter. There were also a number of follow-ups, meaning now the family feels comfortable with Reed, especially Glick’s daughter.

“She’s been through a lot of therapists and a lot of help, and this is finally working,” Glick said. “The fact that YSS came into our life and Suzy came into our life has been a breath of fresh air, honestly.”

That’s how Beadle and Reed want the people they help to feel at the end of the day.

“MPACT is just: how can I leave someone better than I found them? Can I leave them feeling human?” Beadle said. “That’s sometimes all people need — that connection to feel like they’re someone.”

Hicks told KCCI funding for the program ends in 2026. YSS of Marshall County is looking at ways to continue MPACT.

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