WHEELILNG — Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said more technology to aid in investigations and an emphasis on crisis intervention are positive changes at the forefront of the public safety field amid ongoing addiction and mental health crises.

Schwertfeger said a big change he has seen in his time policing has been the increase of mental health calls.

“We are responding to multiple calls a day. Folks that are in psychosis or experiencing some kind of mental health crisis,” he said.

He said he believes this can be tied to a trend plaguing the region, and country, in recent years: narcotics and the opioid crisis. The state mental health care system also needs improving, he said.

“Narcotics are still an issue but we’re making great strides with our crisis response unit as it relates to trying to get assistance and help for those with addiction but also those mental health calls,” he said.

WPD has focused on combating this issue with crisis intervention training for officers and mental health professionals embedded in the department.

“That is a huge trend statewide,” he said. “It’s a proven tool and something that we’re proud of here because we were the first agency in the state, we’ve been doing CIT since 2015, so 10 years now.”

Crime has been generally trending down, which Schwertfeger attributes to the department’s use of geographic policing, crime analysis and constant communication with residents and officers.

“We’re doing something right,” he said.

Another big shift in policing in recent years has been strides in technology that help make investigations and police work more efficient.

The department recently added Cellebrite technology to its tech roster, which allows investigators to crack into and analyze cellphones that have been legally seized. WPD also now possesses a NIBIN device, which allows analysis of ballistic evidence to be done in-house, expediting the investigative process.

They are also looking at purchasing a new 3-D crime scene analysis tool, which could help with prosecutions and understanding crime scenes. Tools like drones are also “another wave of the future” and used in missing persons cases, searches and investigations, he said.

One trending challenge in recent years across the country has been a shortage of incoming, young, new police officers.

“We really want to attract young 18-25 year olds. We want them to want to be in this profession again like it used to be 30 years ago,” Schwertfeger said. “But it remains a challenge. I still have double-digit vacancies and very, very badly we want to fill those.”

The WPD has been offering competitive benefits, like 12-hour shifts, assigned vehicles and bonuses, but the perception of the job has changed, making it more difficult to attract new hires, Schwertfeger said.

“It’s a different generation today. There’s not as many people wanting to get into that kind of service so we need to tap into those sources that may be interested whether that’s athletic teams or continue to look at military options,” he said.