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

New Study: Mobile Crisis Teams Appear To Be More Effective Than Co-Response.

Policymakers are embracing the need for a trained mental health professional to respond to 911 calls that involve a person experiencing a mental health crisis. The question that remains, though, is whether to send armed law enforcement and mobile crisis response teams—or send the mobile crisis response teams alone? A new study from researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit tackles that question.

First responders frequently respond to 911 calls where a person is so intoxicated that it would be unsafe to leave that person alone. In those situations, the first responder usually has two options—jail or an emergency room. Neither option is ideal. But, around the country, cities and counties are creating a third option: sobering centers.

This edition focuses on these Sobering Centers, which give people who are intoxicated a place to sober up until they are not a danger to themselves or others. They also provide a safe place to receive medically-assisted detox, mental health treatment, peer support,aftercare and connection to addiction treatment services.

First, we cover three new sobering centers that launched around the country in recent weeks. Then, we report the results from a national poll that help to put into context how and why the public views sobering centers as an effective public safety strategy.

This week’s edition reports results from two new polls—one national; one from Harris County, Texas—exploring public perception around Community Safety Departments.