When dispatchers answer 911 phone calls, they are now given a choice. Some cities allow dispatchers to either send a police officer or trained, unarmed, mental health professionals to respond to a non-violent call. Traditionally, law enforcement officers have responded to mental health calls as there is a common false perception that individuals with a mental illness are dangerous. However, cities are finally changing their approach to public safety and law enforcement regarding mental health and non-violent crises.

Our criminal justice system is proof of this country’s inadequate response to mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, around “40% of people who have serious mental illnesses will come into contact with the criminal justice system at some point in their lives.” There are more individuals with serious mental illnesses in jails and prisons than in hospitals. When looking at the street encounters between police officers and individuals with mental illnesses, approximately 25% of the 1,000 people shot by police officers in 2018 had a mental illness. Cities have seen the need for criminal justice reform regarding police interactions and mass incarceration of individuals with mental illnesses. To address this, cities throughout the country have created new response programs to 911 calls that do not require law enforcement interaction.

In Denver, Colorado, the new Support Team Assistance Response Program (STAR) directs mental health professionals and paramedics to respond to non-violent 911 calls. This program was implemented 4 days after the protests regarding police brutality began following the death of George Floyd. Many protestors are calling for the defunding of police departments and allocation of funds to other social services, much like these response programs. Accordingly, Dallas, Texas, can serve as an example in the right direction. In 2018, the city began the RIGHT Care program which sends a “team of a police officer, a licensed clinical social worker, a paramedic, and off-site clinicians” to answer non-violent calls. According to the program, citations for “disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and trespassing have dropped by 10% in the area.” RIGHT Care focuses on “diverting mental health crises away from jails and emergency rooms” as well as helping individuals get the care they need. The cities of San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles have also moved in the right direction by creating new response programs and reallocating police resources.

While issues can arise regarding the funding and uniformity of these response programs,  President Trump has addressed this issue by implementing the Safe Policing for Safe Communities Executive Order, which provides “financial incentives to local police departments that opt for co-responder programs.” While this executive order may encourage cities to create new programs in their communities, our criminal justice system needs to address the issue as a whole and implement these response programs nationwide. These response programs can divert individuals with mental illnesses from entering the criminal justice system, help these individuals receive both short-term and long-term community care, and alleviate law enforcement workloads. As best put by Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, “it is the future of law enforcement, taking a public health view on public safety . . . and address[ing] those needs outside of the criminal justice system.”