Former Firefighter and Mental Health Clinician to begin April 8

By David Porter

Several months after the first person to hold the job resigned, Amherst’s unarmed community response team is poised to get a new leader. 

On Tuesday, Town Manager Paul Bockelman announced the appointment of Camille Theriaque, a former firefighter with training in psychology and social work, to head the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service program. CRESS has been overseen by an interim leadership team since the first director, Earl Miller, resigned in October, a few months after he was placed on leave. 

Theriaque became the first woman to rise to the rank of lieutenant in the Holyoke fire department. After retiring, she earned a Master’s Degree from the Smith College School for Social Work and recently worked as a licensed clinician at the Behavioral Health Network’s Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), which serves individuals with mental illness who require a higher level of support. Theriaque also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College.

CRESS, formed in the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, began in the fall of 2022 with four two-person teams tasked with responding to issues arising from homelessness, drug abuse, truancy and other non-violent situations. 

In mid-December 2023, CRESS teams began responding to calls forwarded by police dispatchers. Public records of those calls reviewed by The Current showed that responders logged about four dozen actions during the first seven weeks, from assisting with a disorderly person at the Survival Center in North Amherst to monitoring lunch period at the Amherst Regional Middle School to helping a senior citizen replace a handicapped parking placard. On many occasions, responders assisted unhoused individuals by connecting them with resources such as Craig’s Doors, an overnight shelter at the Immanuel Lutheran Church.

In a statement, Bockelman said Theriaque “brings a level of expertise that will lead the CRESS Department as it continues to develop as a key option for our public safety response.”

Theriaque was one of four finalists for the job. If her appointment is approved by the Town Council, her first day will be April 8, according to Bockelman. 

David Porter grew up in Amherst and spent many years as a sports and courts writer for the Associated Press. He returned to Amherst with his wife, son, and cat.