Safer Cities provides coverage and analysis on innovative efforts to deliver more safety for our cities and our country.

Report: Harvard Examines How Crisis Responder Teams Are Operating Around The Country. Published by the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, the new landscape analysis examines 911 and program data from nine crisis response teams in operation around the country. Using de-identified dispatch and operational data, the report examines how the teams are structured, dispatched, and integrated into local emergency systems. Across the report, researchers identify “findings on emerging trends in program model variation” and “on early insights into performance.”

Mobile Crisis Response Teams Expanding—And Freeing Up Police And Fire Resources—Around The Country.

Study: Cities Are Building Safer Crisis Response Systems Through Integration Of 988 And 911. A new report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration presented a practical toolkit for policymakers interested in integrating 911 emergency dispatch and 988 mental health services to “provide actionable steps and tools to promote interoperability. The toolkit detailed ways to help “partners overcome real and perceived risks and obstacles… [in order] to provide a seamless response to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.”