Three Things To Read This Week
1. More Cities Embedding Mental Health Experts Into 911 Dispatch Centers.
Des Moines, Iowa “Embeds Mental Health Clinicians In 911 Dispatch Center To Aid Callers.” For KCCI Des Moines, Marcus McIntosh reports on the City of Des Moines now "embedding licensed mental health clinicians inside the 911 dispatch center — a rare approach used by only a handful of departments nationwide.” At the Des Moines 911 emergency call center, “when callers indicate they need mental health services, they are routed to a clinician in the dispatch center who begins the conversation immediately… they [can] determine what the risk is, as well as deciphering who is going to respond to that call.”
The city’s approach follows the model pioneered in Austin, Texas that Safer Cities has spotlighted—when you call 911 in Austin, a dispatcher will ask you: “Do you need fire, EMS, police”—or, the fourth option—“mental health.” Then, they determine the appropriate responder team, based on the needs of the caller. Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek, a champion of the embedded clinicians in the city’s emergency call center, explained to the news station that “having clinicians in dispatch expands options for timely care while reducing unnecessary police presence… the clinicians can go to a house, they can talk to somebody, or they can talk to them on the phone — which is a huge piece — without having a police officer there.”
Waco, Texas, “Integrates Behavioral Health Specialists Into The 911 Dispatch Center To Screen And Respond To Mental Health Calls.” For KWTX, Abbey Ferguson reports on the new program in Waco 911 emergency call centers that allows “dispatchers [to] transfer [mental health] calls to trained clinicians, shortening the amount of time it takes to serve those individuals and saving police resources and time for other emergencies.” Ashleigh Foreman, the program’s manager, explained to the news station that “911 is often a first go-to for those struggling with mental health, but dispatching police isn’t always the right answer…. ‘now that we are here in dispatch, it’s immediate. They call in, dispatchers assess the call, and if we are here and available, they are immediately able to talk to someone who can help calm them down or come out in person with them.” And as the Waco Tribune-Herald reported, the effort is not only providing a rapid and appropriate response to mental health crises, the effort is also already “saving Waco Police time and money… Waco Police officers spent an average of 11.5 hours on each mental health call, with the longest lasting 72 hours… last year, the average went down to 3.5 hours, and the longest was 20 hours."
Integrating Crisis Responders Into 911—A Roadmap for States: A new report published by The Council of State Governments Justice Center examines how states can integrate mobile crisis responder programs into local dispatch operations and found that mental health responder programs “are growing across the country as an effective mechanism for reducing client distress, providing timely support, and reducing the burden on police and hospitals…. but their ability to assist a person in crisis often begins with how integrated they are within local 911 and emergency dispatch operations.” The full report is worth reading but here are key takeaways for policymakers interested in this integration and how to make it successful:
Include Dispatchers In The Development Process: “Call taker involvement in this process can help ensure calls are properly screened, identified, and relayed, and that dispatchers, who play a vital role in first response, have input on the protocols and procedures they will be using… dispatchers are often exposed to much of the same chaos and trauma that responders face in the field and have to make decisions just as quickly. Therefore, their buy-in is critical to making sure that community responders are directed to the right calls.”
Build Statewide Workgroups: “including representatives from fire departments, emergency medical services, law enforcement, dispatch, 988, and labor unions—to discuss 911, 988, and how community responder teams can fit into call triage protocols so the community can reach them no matter what number they call…. The workgroup can also facilitate statewide resource mapping and discuss challenging topics such as call routing, liability questions, how to better centralize operations, and knowing what resources are available.”
Elevate Dispatchers As First Responders: “Pass legislation that classifies dispatchers as first responders and expands their opportunities for career benefits and job protection… [state and local leaders] should also be aware of liability concerns that dispatchers may have about sending a non-law enforcement team to address time-sensitive calls.”
2. Momentum For Mobile Crisis Response Around The Country.
New Report: “Key Lessons And Recommendations” For Local Leaders Launching Mobile Crisis Response Teams. A new report published by the Vera Institute highlights what worked well, what challenges emerged, and what other cities and counties can learn from the first year of New Orleans’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit. The full report is worth reading, but here are the topline findings for local leaders interested in launching a successful mobile crisis response team:
City and County leadership should ensure that the unit has “sufficient funding, time, and authority to operationalize interagency coordination… sufficient and sustainable funding from city or county general budgets is essential for establishing and integrating alternative first response as a branch of local emergency response systems…. provid[e] services to everyone regardless of insurance status…”
Agency and Department heads should “leverage their authority and cross-agency relationships to foster collaboration among key partners (911, emergency response, public safety, and health and social service providers)... facilitate and formalize data-sharing agreements and practices… for collaborative planning and problem-solving routinely review 911 call data, alternative first response data, and feedback from staff and community members to inform design and operations.”
Mobile Crisis Responder Team leaders should “engage the leadership and staff of key [public safety] partners and sustain communication [for] planning and problem-solving…create opportunities for meaningful community participation during planning and implementation… implement and sustain marketing and community engagement strategies to increase broader public awareness of alternative first response… [convene] regular interagency working group meetings … [ask] partners for advice, review data together… problem-solving [together], and [be] honest with each other when protocols and practices needed to be refined.”
Cities Expanding Their Successful Mobile Crisis Response Teams:
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, “Alternative Response Team Expands Services.” For 2News, Clifton Haskin reports on the Alternative Response Team, or ART-2, service expansion through the addition of specialized “mental health professionals” as well as dedicated paramedics from the Tulsa Fire Department who will respond to mental health and medical-related calls for service for the homeless population around the city. Mayor Monroe Nichols, a champion of the mobile crisis team in the city, explained on his Facebook page that the program is “a win-win for reducing homelessness and increasing public safety…. [because] ART reduces 911 medical call volumes and provides proactive outreach to people experiencing homelessness… free[ing] our firefighters and officers from dealing with medical calls and gets them back to protecting Tulsans.”
Long Beach, California’s “Community Crisis Response Team Expands Service Area Citywide.” For The Long Beach Press-Telegram, Kristy Hutchings reports on Long Beach city leaders announcing the expansion of the Community Crisis Response team, which deploys experts to calls for service related to mental health crises, substance use concerns, public disturbances and homelessness—growing the team from its launch locations in west side and downtown Long Beach now to serving the entire city. The team functions as a co-equal branch of the city’s public safety infrastructure, working in collaboration with all of the city’s public safety agencies—Health, Fire, Police and Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications. When a call for service comes in, dispatchers “identify appropriate calls for a health-based response” and route those calls to the CCR team, so that police officers can focus on serious crimes.
3. New Report: “When Implemented With Fidelity, CVI Programs Are A Powerful Tool For Reducing Violence And Saving Lives.”
The R Street Institute published a new report that explores how Community Violence Intervention programs reduce violence and save taxpayer money, with a core conclusion: “The data is clear: When implemented with fidelity, CVI programs are a powerful tool for reducing violence and saving lives.” The full report is worth your time, but here are the key takeaways:
Proven Results With Strong ROI: “Between 2019 and 2022, a randomized controlled trial found that participants in the Gang Reduction Initiative of Denver were 70 percent less likely to perpetrate violence than the control group…. Chicago’s Rapid Employment and Development Initiative… decreased firearm and homicide arrests by 65 percent…. Every $1 invested [in CVI] generates between $4 and $18 in public savings.”
Local Control: “CVI programs … place [responsibility into] the hands of local organizations and individuals who are closest to the problem…. build community capacity internally, giving people the tools and self-reliance necessary to resolve conflicts on their own. CVI promotes personal responsibility by requiring participants to take ownership of their actions and actively work to change their lives.”
Pathways For Rehabilitation: “Research studies demonstrate that stable employment is one of the best ways to reduce adult recidivism. Giving former offenders [who often work as credible messengers in CVI programs] a productive career creates a pathway to rehabilitation for the millions of incarcerated individuals in the United States.”
Spotlight On Promising CVI Programs Around The Country:
Milwaukee Credible Messengers Program Sees 76% Of Youth In Program Not Reoffend. For The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Everett Eaton reports on the latest data out of the Milwaukee County-backed “Credible Messengers” CVI initiative that “pairs adult mentors who have gone through the criminal justice system with at-risk youths to help them from entering, or re-entering, the justice system… [through] holding the youths accountable and … building trust, using cultural intelligence and understanding trauma to help the youths realize their potential.” The county’s data demonstrates the promise of the program: “Last year, about 76% of the youths did not reoffend while in the program… [and] almost all the youths — 98% — who participated in the program were not injured by gun violence in 2024.”
In Detroit, A “50% Drop In Violent Crime In Some CVI Zones.” For Fox News, Hilary Golston and Jack Nissen report on the city’s CVI teams “press[ing] down on the city's crime rates, showing the strategy of targeting potential sources of violence before they break out is working.” Between May and July of this year, the city’s seven CVI zones (each zone “covers approximately 3.5 to 4.5 square miles”) reported back “a 30% drop in homicides and non-fatal shootings” and “two areas on Detroit's west side” saw “a 50% reduction across the same metrics.” As Fox notes, “while police are key to stopping crime, this program prevents it from happening in the first place… ‘law enforcement responds after the fact. What these groups are doing is getting in there before anything happens…’”
