By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Detective Jamie Shoemake of the Geneseo Police Department will present a program on “Successes in Law Enforcement” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at the Geneseo Public Library. Her presentation is made possible by the Illinois Humanities and the Geneseo Public Library District.
She has worked in Law Enforcement for 10 years and has been with the Geneseo Police Department for the four years, where she founded IMPACT (Integrated Model Police and Crisis Team.
Detective Jamie Shoemaker
Shoemaker was named Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute’s 2024 “Women in Criminal Justice Female Officer of the Year.”
Information received from the library shared that “Shoemaker was handpicked by an eight-member state-wide committee, standing out for her substantial impact on both the department and the community, especially in advocating for mental health and crisis awareness.
Detective Shoemaker also was recognized nationally as a winner of the 2023 Flock Safety #Solved Awards, where nominees were solicited from across the country, and Shoemaker was noted as having accomplished the mission of providing a coordinated, professional and compassionate police response to individuals affected by mental illness, substance abuse or in need of crisis intervention. The award recognized her efforts in seeking alternative ways to address the mental health and substance use crisis in the community.
Geneseo Deputy Police Chief Gene Karzin said, “We couldn’t be prouder of Detective Shoemaker’s unwavering commitment to raising mental health awareness on the front lines. Police Chief Casey Disterhoft said, “Her compassion and dedication to the Geneseo community are truly inspiring.”
Detective Shoemaker initially began work to set up a mental health task force within the Geneseo Police Department, and it was while she was working in the community, and as a result of her training with crisis intervention that she realized more than just help for mental illness was needed. While she acknowledges that she isn’t a trained counselor or therapist, she is very capable of guiding people to the resources they might need.
“During trainings, it was brought to my attention that a person who suffers form mental illness can turn to substance use to self-medicate, therefore making our task force not just about mental illness, but also substance use as well as crisis intervention,” she said. “Every person we work with has different needs and different resources they need to help them.”
“We’re trying to be more proactive instead of reactive, especially when it comes to mental health, substance use and crisis intervention, Detective Shoemake explained. “We’re another piece of the puzzle in our community and we want to help.”
She also took her commitment to raising awareness to mental health to the local schools and she said, “Everyone’s day looks differently and it’s OK to want help and get help. A lot of high school students deal with anxiety and depression.”
“Maybe the best way to explain it is that no one wakes up deciding they want to be in crisis that day,” She added. “When you think about that for a moment, you start to get a better understanding of how frustrating and difficult these situations can be. That’s why we need to be empathetic and sympathetic when someone is dealing with something. It could be anybody, even you. It’s important to consider how we treat people, and that is something that reflects on all of us. It’s easy to look the other way, but we live in a community together and sometimes you need to help each other out.”
By her presentations, Shoemaker helps to teach the community about anxiety and depression. “it’s about educating people on what mental illness is and what it looks like, and how it’s in our communities,” she said. “it’s one in five people; we need to start taking a proactive approach on it.”
“The Dementia Friendly Geneseo Task Force has been incorporated into the IMPACT group. They are partnered with the Area Agency on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association to address the needs of those living with dementia. The Team, led by staff from the Police Department, includes people from the city, aging organizations, service/non-profit organizations, the Alzheimer’s Association, healthcare, and a local bank. First responders in the community have been trained on dementia and will be monitoring for any needs within community members.
In addition to the list of Detective Shoemaker’s achievements, the City of Geneseo is now one of only 31 communities in Illinois that are certified as “Dementia Friendly.” The city’s police force has created an independent task force to handle outreach efforts such as connecting families with health care services or caregivers. Representatives of the Geneseo Task Force are present at the City of Geneseo, Central Bank, Black Hawk Bank, Liberty Village, Atkinson-Geneseo Food Pantry, Geneseo Public Library, Rebuilding Together, Henry County Seniors, Hammond-Henry Hospital, Adult Alternatives and the Geneseo Police Department.