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

To gauge public support for Sobering Centers as part of a city’s public safety infrastructure, Safer Cities recently conducted a national survey of 2,503 registered voters. First, we defined sobering centers as facilities “that give people who are intoxicated a place to sober up until they are not a danger to themselves or others that provide a safe place to receive medically-assisted detox, mental health treatment, peer support and aftercare.” These centers, we explained, “help alleviate pressure on emergency rooms and keep people who don’t pose a safety risk out of jail.” We then provided participants with “reasons for implementing sobering centers as a public safety policy” that a city might consider, and then asked them to tell us “how convincing, if at all” each of those reasons are. Here are our findings.

To gauge public support for Crisis Stabilization Centers as part of a city’s public safety infrastructure, Safer Cities recently conducted a national survey of 2,503 registered voters.

First, we defined crisis stabilization centers as “specialized facilities designed to provide immediate support to individuals experiencing acute mental health or substance use crises.” Each center, we explained, “is staffed with trained mental health professionals, provides a short-term place to stay while the person stabilizes, and connects the person with longer-term care options.” 

We then provided participants with “reasons for implementing crisis stabilization centers as a public safety policy” that a city might consider, and then asked them to tell us “how convincing, if at all” each of those reasons are. Here is what we found.

Safer Cities joined lawmakers and practitioners from around the country this week for NYU’s Advancing the Field of Alternative Response Convening where we presented new national polling on mobile crisis response teams.

To gauge public support for mobile crisis response teams as part of a city’s public safety infrastructure, Safer Cities recently conducted a national survey of registered voters.