Bloomington-Normal crime report 1/19-1/23

NORMAL, Ill. – As the spring semester settles in and temperatures drop, Illinois State University is seeing an increase in mental health cases among students on and around campus.

This week, the ISU Police Department has reported multiple mental health-related calls, and Police Chief Aaron Woodruff said this has been an upward trend over his 20+ year-long career.  

“It definitely isn’t uncommon for our department and other police departments to deal with mental health calls,” Woodruff said. “I think there are a couple of reasons for that one, there’s a lot going on, and people are experiencing a lot of anxiety, and the time of year, whether it’s seasonal depression or other factors.” 

Reports by The National Institute of Mental Health suggest mental health struggles have not become more prevalent across Woodruff’s career, but that a reduced social stigma surrounding mental illness has led to a higher number of reported cases.

Woodruff said if someone wants help for themselves or others, they can get it. 

“There are a number of different ways to report as a student,” Woodruff said. “We have our Student Counseling Services, and even though the office itself isn’t open 24 hours a day, their phone number is available 24 hours a day, and there’s a hotline. We’re also fortunate here at ISU, university housing has case managers. Dean of Students has case managers that also will make that outreach to the students and try to get them directed to resources we have in the Bloomington-Normal Community.” 

For more urgent cases, the Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center in downtown Bloomington offers free care.

The center acts as an emergency room for patients in crisis and is available for people who just need someone to talk to, and those who may need to be admitted to a long-term hospital.  

“There’s a number of resources, in addition to law enforcement in the community,” Woodruff said. “Officers are trained in what’s referred to as crisis intervention team training, so they get advanced training in responding to mental health crisis situations, and our department was one of the first in the area, to have every officer certified in that.” 

There are several actions officers might take when responding to a mental health crisis. Woodruff said they first look at the area of the call. If the person making the call lives on campus, ISU PD works with university housing to find a solution. If they live off campus, the call is outsourced to the Normal Police Department. In the event the call requires an immediate police response, an officer is set to speak with the caller.  

“The officer will meet with the student. Our officers, if they’re in housing, when they talk to the student, will offer the on-call counseling. So, they’ll call the on-call counselor and offer that to the student to talk to somebody, and the on-call counselor will consult with the officer,” Woodruff said. 

The on-call counselor will either suggest the caller will likely be okay and refer them to counseling services, or in the case that it is determined the caller is harming themselves or others, the officer will take steps to get them to a hospital.  

With an increase in mental health emergencies being reported, the officers responding may feel a toll on themselves as well.  

“Officers are human too, and they’re not. They’re not immune to, not just, you know, what they see while they’re on the job, but also their own life stressors,” Woodruff said. “We talk about their own wellness and self-care. For many of them, it’s unique, whether it’s the hobbies that they’re involved with, or exercise, or religion, or whatever it is that kind of helps them, puts them in that mindset, to help manage their own thoughts, feelings and processing what they’re exposed to.” 

For those on campus struggling with mental health, whether it be seasonal affective disorder (seasonal depression) or something more severe, Woodruff said, do not be afraid to ask for help. 

“There are a ton of resources that you have here on this campus,” Woodruff said. “It doesn’t have to be the police. It can be counseling, but it doesn’t have to be counseling. It could be housing, Dean of Students, even faculty have some information. It’s hard to do if you’re feeling depressed or if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed. So, ask for help, and you will get help.” 

Mental health resources can be found here.