WHEELING — The West Virginia First Foundation awarded the Wheeling Police Department $463,633.60 in their first rollout of Opportunity Grants to fund the department’s recently established 24-hour Crisis Response Unit.

As one of the inaugural recipients of the grant, WPD announced Monday that they will use the funds to support the unit and expand its staff.

The CRU, established in May 2024, consists of two peer recovery support specialists and a victim advocate and aims to provide a 24/7 response and support for those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues.

With the grant money, WPD will fund a social worker position on the unit as well as the director position, currently held by Katie Hughes. The grant money will also go toward ongoing crisis-intervention training for officers and first responders across Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties or WVFF’s Region 1.

The Opportunity Grants were allocated statewide to recipients focused on four target areas, one of which being diversion and interdiction programs, like the CRU.

Though this is the first grant the WPD has received from WVFF, the Wheeling City Council approved the department’s requests for portions of the municipally-distributed opioid settlement funds earlier this year.

The city council has faced criticism for funds going to WPD over other organizations that focus solely on addiction treatment and support. At a press conference Monday, WPD Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said he wants to dispel misconceptions about what the funds going to police work means.

WPD data from 2024, shows a 37% reduction in overdoses, a 46% reduction in overdose deaths and an 18% reduction in criminal drug offenses, he said.

“Anyone that wants to dispute why the funding from the West Virginia First Foundation should not come to a police agency that’s taking steps, thinking outside the box and creating units like this, they need to hear these numbers,” Schwertfeger said.

Hughes lauded Schwertfeger for his “dynamic vision” for crisis intervention.

She said the CRU spends time working hands-on with those struggling with their mental health and substance abuse by connecting communities with housing assistance, addiction support and other resources.

“We’re making contact, we’re trying to build rapport and we may not get them to commit to treatment or services immediately, but by building those relationships we’re seeing success over time and I think our numbers show that also,” she said.

The benefit of having a CRU like this is the immediate access to peer support surrounding an overdose or crisis, Schwertfeger emphasized.

If someone has an overdose in the middle of the night, there are individuals trained in crisis response available to support them and fill in the gaps when other organizations might not be available, he said.

“We believe that timing is essential. There are some programs out there that are wonderful, the difference being that we provide 24-hour coverage,” Schwertfeger said.

The unit also does preventative work, like utilizing information from the department’s crime analyst to distribute narcan in areas where overdoses may soon spike, Schwertfeger said.

“The West Virginia First Foundation recognizes our outside-the-box thinking and our approach and we are forever grateful for the opportunity to improve upon our successes,” he said.

WVFF Chief Operating Officer Romeo Tan said he grew up in the Ohio Valley and is excited to see the impact of the WPD’s initiatives.