Pairing a mental health expert with a paramedic -- instead of a police officer -- to respond to low-level, nonviolent 911 calls decreased the number of criminal offenses in downtown Denver, a new study reveals.
During the same pilot phase, overall crimes dropped 14% in the eight police precincts that took part in the Support Team Assisted Response program, compared to precincts where police responded to all types of 911 calls.
Although programs to give nonviolent 911 calls to non-police responders have been around for years, the idea is"getting more attention now because of the larger context," Dee says. On the other hand, he says,"if your politics are 'defund the police,' this program decreases the footprint of police officers and could decrease police budgets over time."
Researchers found that none of the 748 field calls handled by the health care responders ended in an arrest, resulting in 1,376 fewer criminal offenses reported over 6 months. The study’s results"show that a community response [can be] effective to de-escalate crises and to improve the reference process," says Étienne Blais, PhD, who has studied similar programs in Canada.
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