The REACH team is staffed by a cross-disciplinary group of experts in a true co-response model to enhance your safety.
Response, Evaluation and Crisis Help team members have experience both in social work and public safety. They are trained to conduct clinical assessments in the field and complete follow-up work to make sure community members get the care that is appropriate for them.
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 is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and 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.
Jessica 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.