Ogle County Sheriff's Office Uses Peer Support Program After Shooting in Lost Lake Community | News

OGLE COUNTY, Ill. (WREX) — Following Wednesday's shooting in the Lost Lake community in Ogle County, the Ogle County Sheriff's Office plans to utilize the peer support program to prioritize mental health.

“It's something that we've really never experienced here at the office and what we take away here is that it was a completely different type of response,” said Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle.

VanVickle said the unfamiliar scene now has them focusing on mental health as a path forward.

“It’s an anomaly. Obviously, our deputies and our telecommunicators are dealing with tragedies on a daily basis, so again, it's mental health that's a goal that we've started working on,” VanVickle said.

And the office has an ideal way to do just that as it plans to take advantage of its peer support program even more than in the past.

“Providing peer-to-peer support. It's done internally and it has a lot to do with developing relationships, maintaining contact and just being able to keep tabs on people,” said Gary Cortese, chaplain and head of peer support from the office. .

The team implemented this program just a year ago, now giving trained deputies the skills to mentor someone they know and can relate to.

“Studies show that you just have to talk and get things out so to speak, rather than bottling them up and hiding them, to get them out, you talk about them,” Cortese said.

As the Ogle County Sheriff's Office strives to move forward, it is critical to utilize the program established with only a few months to stay up to the standards of the career it chose.

“It’s about taking care of our people and our main goal at this point is to make sure everyone is doing well both physically and mentally,” VanVickle said.

However, living in rural Ogle County presents its challenges, something they have worked to overcome using the approach of talking to their peers.

“The biggest difference is that in a rural area there's a lot of telemedicine and, quite honestly, for mental health, especially with MPs, it doesn't seem as personal,” VanVickle said.

In the wake of the events, the resource plays a vital role as the team continues to do its best for the community, they believe.

“It's critical that this is in play. It's a resource, and it's recognized. The work has had to go into awareness, education and letting people know we're here,” said Cortese.

For deputies who were among the officers involved in the shootings, the Ogle County Sheriff's Office said they were required to attend counseling.

The shooting is currently under investigation by Illinois State Police.

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