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CSBC Small Business Coalition
holds May meeting with focus on the BRIDGE program
[May 29, 2026]
On Wednesday evening at Flossie
and Delzena’s, the CSBG Small Business Coalition welcomed members to
learn about the BRIDGE program from Lincoln Police Chief Joe
Meister. Heather Cosby opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and
providing some background on the Small Business Coalition and
CAPCIL’s connection to the BRIDGE program. Then, she turned the
meeting over to Chief Meister for his presentation.
Chief Meister began by providing his experience in law enforcement.
He has served in law enforcement for over 20 years in various
capacities and has extensive knowledge and experience in helping
people deal with substance abuse, mental health, and housing. He has
additional experience with other programs that address these issues,
but even in the short time since it has been in place, BRIDGE:
Building Recovery Inclusion in Dignity for Growth and Empowerment
has proven more effective.
Previous programs were to simply transport those struggling with
substance abuse to a facility. Transporting them was not feasible
for the Lincoln Police Department, as those facilities were often in
Springfield, Decatur, or Peoria. This would take officers off the
streets of Lincoln and make them unavailable to respond to calls for
a significant period. The Lincoln Police Department responds to
approximately 14,000 calls, makes approximately 700 arrests
annually, and has 28 sworn officers. According to the information
provided at the meeting, 47 percent of Logan County arrests from
2013 to 2023 were for low-level, non-violent drug offenses, and
Logan County has 224 mental health-related ER visits per 100,000
adults, which is above the state average of 169.
Meister explained the difference between deflection and diversion.
Deflection is when an officer encounters someone struggling and on
the brink of arrest, but instead of arresting them for their
substance abuse, they refer them for help. Previous help-seeking
pathways were not as effective or efficient. Now, with the BRIDGE
program, officers can refer people to resources for help rather than
arrest them. However, some offenses are ineligible for deflection.
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This program receives 75 percent of
its referrals from law enforcement; however, Chief Meister would
like to see greater community involvement. He will be asking
downtown businesses for window space to place the referral QR code.
With this code, anyone will be able to make a self-referral if they
need to reach out for help with substance abuse, homelessness, or
mental illness.
The program launched in Lincoln on
February 24 of this year. Since then, there have been 55 referrals,
which Chief Meister says is showing more success than major urban
areas.
BRIDGE has several leadership partners throughout Lincoln and
central Illinois, including: Lincoln Police Department, Logan County
Sheriff’s Office, Logan County Department of Public Health, Illinois
State Police, The Salvation Army of Lincoln, TASC, Oxford House,
Gateway Foundation, ROSC of Logan and Mason County, Memorial Health,
and The Pavilion. Locally, BRIDGE also serves Menard and Mason
counties.
[Joli Boerma Crane] |
