For three months, Morgan Kobitka has been the Portage Police Department’s first social worker. Police Chief Michael Candiano is already convinced the experiment is a success.

“We kind of came into this with a blank slate,” he said.

During the interviews for the position, candidates would ask about the police administration’s expectations. They didn’t really know what to expect, he said. They just knew a social worker was needed.

“We’re changing the way we do things by bringing somebody in,” Candiano said. “It’s ultimately going to reduce the call volume and reduce those repeat issues.”

Police officers in Portage just don’t have time to follow up following a call, as much as they’d like to. It’s a busy department. In September, there were 2,781 calls, about 93 a day, Candiano said. He’s

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