Lt. Rachael Ahart
REACH supervisor

Rachael has served on the UIPD since 2011 and joined REACH in 2021. As a patrol officer, she was a certified member of the Crisis Intervention Team and taught self-defense classes to women on campus. Rachael has a Master of Social Work and a Graduate Woman Scholar Award for work related to enhancing victim outcomes through a collaborative response to sexual assault from the criminal justice system and support services.

Megan Cambron
Crisis Outreach Coordinator

Megan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and one of the founding members of REACH. She supervises the team’s Crisis Responders and coordinates the unit’s response to mental health emergencies. Before her role in the UIPD, Megan worked with military veterans in many settings, including residential treatment, psychiatric units, outpatient mental health, and the Suicide Prevention Program.

Officer Alex Tran
Therapy K9 Handler

Alex joined the UIPD in 2016 after graduating from UIUC. In 2020, he was selected as a REACH behavioral health detective, and he was paired with the therapy K9 Lollipop to respond to mental health-related emergencies and attend community events. Alex also serves as a volunteer firefighter in Savoy, Illinois. He said that he was always fascinated by first responders while growing up in Chicago, and he entered public safety because he wanted to help people.

Officer Michael Mitrou
Therapy K9 Handler

Michael joined the UIPD as a patrol officer in 2019 and he was selected as a therapy K9 handler in 2021. Officer Mitrou and therapy K9 Rosie are available to respond to mental health emergencies and attend events on campus. Mitrou says that he and Rosie especially love events where they have a chance to interact and speak with community members.

Becky Rowe
Crisis Responder

Becky graduated in 2021 with her Master of Social Work from the UIUC School of Social Work, and she joined REACH in September 2021 as one of its first crisis responders. She responds to emergencies with a police officer and a therapy K9, and she provides clinical assessments and resources in the field. She said she chose this line of work because she wants to provide a voice to people who need help and to help modernize local mental health services.

Amanda Goodwin
Crisis Responder

Amanda joined REACH in July 2021 as its first crisis responder. In that role, she rides with patrol officers and responds to crisis calls to assess community members’ mental health needs and to offer resources. She earned her Master in Social Work in 2017, and she says one of the most rewarding things about the job is helping others and seeing the improvements in their daily lives.

Jessical Wilson
Crisis Responder

Jessica is the newest addition to the REACH staff, joining UIPD in May 2023. She rides with a police officer and responds to crisis calls in the community, where she completes clinical assessments and provides resources. With her Master of Social Work, she chose this job because she felt that it’s a need for social workers to engage with officers in our community.

Officer Valerie Marcotte
Behavioral Health Detective

Valerie joined UIPD as a police officer in June 2020 and said she was motivated by her husband — also a police officer — because she wanted to impact lives in the same way he does. She believes mental health is critical for any human being, and she wants to bridge the gap to help others understand that the police are there to help. She also serves on the department’s special victims unit, recruitment committee and is a mentor to new officers.

Officer Malik Harrison
Behavioral Health Detective

Malik joined UIPD in January 2019. He was motivated to become a police office to change the perception of what people of color think of law enforcement, represent his culture, and be a familiar face. He joined REACH because he said he personally knows the effects of how mental illness can affect people. He said he has had many positive interactions with REACH clients after that person is out of crisis.

Officer Matt Seaver
Behavioral Health Detective

Matt joined the University of Illinois Police Department as an officer in April 2021. He said he was motivated to become a police officer because he enjoys helping others and doing something different every day. He joined REACH as a behavioral health detective because he sees the importance of helping people who are experiencing mental health emergencies. He also serves the community as a motor officer and field training officer.