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LaSalle County moves to create part‑time crisis intervention specialist; chaplain’s volunteer work cited
Summary
The committee voted to forward a proposal to create a part‑time (20–24 hour) crisis intervention specialist position to Salary & Labor for wage setting after presentations about the chaplain program’s role in death‑scene response, family support and deputy resiliency.
LaSalle County committee members voted to forward a proposal to create a part‑time crisis intervention specialist to the Salary & Labor committee, after testimony describing the role’s work with families and first responders.
Dave Van Laar, a volunteer county chaplain and longtime emergency‑services volunteer, described responding to death notifications, assisting families at scenes, helping deputies with post‑incident stress and arranging basic needs such as food, clothing and temporary lodging. Van Laar said he currently performs the work on a voluntary basis and that private donations have funded ad‑hoc assistance for families.
Sheriff Templeton and LaSalle County Coroner Rich spoke in support. Rich said Van Laar had provided immediate support to families and to county staff during difficult calls and described an occasion when the chaplain intervened after a late‑night incident that other psychological‑first‑aid organizations declined to cover. Committee members said the service addressed a gap between on‑scene response and longer‑term mental‑health services.
Sheriff Templeton said the county already has an established chaplain fund for donations that is audited and kept separate from county general funds; the sheriff said he expects to be able to cover the position’s initial hours from within existing personnel budget lines but that the Salary & Labor committee should set formal wage and hours. The motion forwarded the position at 24 hours per week to Salary & Labor for wage review and adjustment. Committee members discussed beginning with about 20–24 hours per week and reassessing after a year.
Committee members asked about current charitable funding for immediate needs such as hotel rooms or diapers; presenters said those expenses have been paid through private donations to the chaplain fund and not from county general funds. The committee discussed administrative details such as whether the role would be a county part‑time hourly position and how mileage or contractor/pay rules (1099 vs. payroll) would be handled; those details were deferred to Salary & Labor and county HR.
A motion to forward the crisis intervention specialist position to Salary & Labor at 24 hours per week passed with a voice vote in favor.
