Social workers step in when individuals need help or communities face gaps – offering support, advocacy, care, and thoughtful planning. That includes Brooke Barcena, who, as a second-year MSW student in 2019, helped create a victim-centered mass violence preparedness plan. Now, as Deputy Director of the Crime Response Program (CRP) within Victim Witness Services in the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, she helps provide on-scene crisis intervention services for victims – implementing, expanding, and refining some of the same services she outlined during her field placement.
“Together with her team, Brooke ensures that individuals affected by crime receive the emotional, psychological, and practical support they need to navigate the justice system,” said Audrey Conn, Director of Field Education.
Brooke and her colleagues assess a victims’ immediate needs and act as a liaison between law enforcement and other agencies a victim may encounter. They provide care and services for victims in a way that honors their rights to dignity and respect, and guide victims through the beginning of the criminal justice process, regardless of whether an arrest is made or the case is referred to the DA.
“These services often include providing emergency housing for victims who remain in danger or whose homes are crime scenes. CRP can assist with relocation, costs associated with damaged property which makes their home unsafe, or hotel stays until safety in the home can be restored,” Brooke said.
“Additionally, CRP often assists with damages to vehicles. Like housing security, these vehicle damages are pivotal in restoring immediate safety and transportation. In conjunction with safety planning, CRP can provide gift cards to address essentials for daily life such as food, clothing, and gas,” she continued.
The CRP is the only crisis response team that operates 24/7/365 in the State of Wisconsin. The CRP consists of daytime staff during normal business hours, 24/7 on-call staff during weekends, holidays, and after hours, as well as clinical mental health providers available to offer trauma-based crisis counseling. They provide these services whether or not a case gets referred to the DA’s office for charges. If a case is referred for charges, CRP provides information about victim constitutional rights and justice system procedures. The CRP works closely with Dane County Emergency Management and Dane County Sheriff’s Office who make up the steering committee.
Expanding Services
In 2022, CRP expanded to provide and coordinate these services during mass-violence incidents, eventually creating a Critical Incident Response team consisting of over 100 responders in Dane County. This is where Brooke’s work while a student comes into play.
“As an MSW student, Brooke demonstrated a deep dedication to creating a more compassionate, equitable, and responsive justice system. This commitment was evident throughout her field placements and in her leadership at the District Attorney’s Office,” Conn said.
While doing her Field Placement with the Crime Response Program back in 2019, Brooke helped develop a mass violence preparedness plan for Dane County as part of her Change Agent Project. “This change agent project was developed over time through collaboration and partnership with many local and national stakeholders,” Brooke said. Almost all students create a Change Agent Project as part of their Field Placement each year.
Brooke and colleagues worked with national outfits to study evidence-based tools and practices in other communities. “It was also important that we learn [about] already existing and refined tactical responses by our local first responders to ensure we were complementing their procedures, not impeding them,” she said.
From there, the effort turned to gaining the support of local stakeholders.”The biggest barrier was getting buy-in (at the time) from our community partners. Only because it’s difficult to convince people to plan and prepare for something we do not know will happen, such as a mass casualty,” Brooke said.
Unfortunately, recent events, such as school shootings in Mount Horeb and Madison, have demonstrated the need for such coordinated efforts. Brooke, along with members of the Critical Incident Response Team, were on-site for both of these tragedies.
“I think in this current time, the message is much more well received and we do not need to convince folks of the importance anymore,” Brooke said.
During a mass violence incident, the team provides the same services as for other crimes, but on a much larger scale and with more CIRT team members. This requires intense and on-going training to ensure team members, representing many agencies, operate in unison and with consistency in assisting victims and their loved ones.
Common areas that the CIRT team assists with during mass incidents include victim information and notification; family assistance and mult-agency resource coordination; managing donations and volunteers; and communication between agencies and with victims.
The team continues to learn and adapt. After the May 2024 Mount Horeb shooting, they learned that amid the confusion that day, victims had trouble finding people that could help. After that, they ordered teal-colored vests for visibility. Just seven months later, they wore these vests on scene at another tragic school shooting – this time at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. These vests help identify team members to victims and victim family members during crowded, confusing, and stressful times.
Now, Brooke is supervising another one of our MSW students, Hanna Schurict, in her Field Placement. Hanna created a one-page handout explaining the Crime Response Program.
Recently, Brooke was a guest lecturer in a social work class sharing her experiences of moving from an MSW student to her current role.
“I tell students to be like a sponge, soak in as much information as you can. Do not underestimate the power of networking and how much making connections with community partners can not only help you find your niche and passion, but encourage you to find ways to improve systems and policies that impact those we serve,” Brooke said.