STAR: Support Team Assisted Response
Denver's STAR program launched on June 1, 2020 with a single van and two responders. Five years later, it operates eight vans citywide with a $7.2 million budget, has responded to more than 25,000 calls without a single arrest, and has become the most studied alternative crisis response model in the United States.
How STAR Was Created
STAR emerged from at least eight distinct forces converging. The financial foundation came from the Caring for Denver ballot initiative in November 2018 (70% voter approval), creating a 0.25% sales tax generating roughly $35 million annually. The operational model came from a delegation trip to Eugene, Oregon to study the CAHOOTS program. Local organizing by DASHR and the Denver Justice Project drove the concept for years. Police Chief Paul Pazen’s receptiveness was essential.
The pilot launched June 1, 2020 with one van and two responders.
The Stanford Study
Drop in low-level crime in STAR areas. The study estimates 1,400 fewer criminal offenses in Denver because of the pilot program.
Violent crime rates remained steady. Cost per STAR offense reduced: approximately $151 vs. $646 for criminal justice processing (4.3× cheaper). Police have never been called for backup during STAR interventions.
What STAR Looks Like On The Ground
Each van deploys with one behavioral health clinician (WellPower) and one paramedic/EMT (Denver Health). Teams wear plain clothes, carry no weapons. Vans carry Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, weather-appropriate clothing, and supplies. Seven call types are STAR-eligible. Median on-scene time: 24.65 minutes vs. 34.08 for police.
The Dispatch Challenge
STAR answers only about half of eligible calls — roughly 25,000 out of 60,000 eligible over five years. NYU researchers found dispatchers sometimes forget the option exists, and some worry about sending unarmed responders.
Send them. We got this. You have our back. You know where we are. We’ll call for help if we need it.
Scale, Budget, And The Medicaid Breakthrough
STAR operates 6am-10pm, 7 days/week, citywide with 8 vans. Budget grew from $208K pilot to $7.2M.
of STAR costs are billable to Medicaid — the program’s most replicable innovation for cities seeking sustainable funding.