NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — The Nicholasville Police Department has added several new positions and programs to jumpstart a new connection to support the community.
The Nicholasville Police Department is collecting previously used digital devices, including cellphones, tablets, laptops and more — all for a new outreach program.
Jackie Hisel is a social worker, a brand new position for the department, who is helping with the initiative.
“We do have quite a few domestic violence calls. so this is an opportunity to kind of be proactive and have this service available for individuals that need it,” she said.
Hisel says the initiative is for individuals who are at risk, victims of domestic abuse, or those experiencing an unsafe situation. The phones they distribute will be paid for up to two months, so that people can use them for no cost.
The program works with the 911 Cellphone Bank, a nonprofit in Florida that refurbishes devices and distributes them to those in need for free for emergency use. Phones can be activated in 15 minutes.
“If the individual wants to keep the phone, they can activate it with a service provider of their choice. or if they choose not to, then they can drop the phone back off at one of our drop-off locations and pass it off to help someone else down the road,” she said.
The cellphone packages come with chargers, headphones and other accessories to help support individuals using them. (Spectrum News 1/Sabriel Metcalf)
Hisel has been full time with the police department for a month.
“To reduce calls that come into the police, the dispatch, that are not criminal, that do not require police intervention. That is where I come in and play a role to provide those services.” She explained her new role.
She says more outreach projects like this are underway as she steps into her role.
“You know, being able to have that knowledge and ability to help those individuals is a great need in this community,” Hisel said.
Hisel says she is now Kentucky’s 16th social worker that's part of a police department. Hisel says right now she’s working with other cities, agencies and more to better support their community’s needs.