“Reimagining the police”
“Alternatives to public safety are gaining momentum, but activists worry many of these ‘alternatives’ still involve police and don’t address root causes.“ This piece by the Boston Globe tells the story of the author’s encounter with the police during and five of them arrested a young black man outside of her home. “I thought something’s […]
Canada: The BC Federation of Labour Calls for Policing Alternatives
Several historic resolutions supporting Indigenous rights were considered at this year’s convention. “‘We have to come to terms with the violence that the police have on our people,’ Marjorie Dumont, a BC Teachers’ Federation delegate and a Wet’suwet’en member, told BC Federation of Labour conference attendees on Tuesday.” Reporting for the Tyee, Zak Vescera and […]
Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) Redefines Public Safety
The Georgia Voice: “PAD is an Atlanta-based organization that offers alternative policing and strives to mend a system to leads people to experience extreme poverty, substance use, and mental health crises. PAD, established in 2015 by Atlanta City Council, was founded by the Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative (SNaP Co), is led by trans and queer […]
Indiana county could be getting its own mental health crisis response unit
Indiana Reporter Times: Tasha Coppinger, organizing director with the bipartisan nonprofit Hoosier Action, says, “If someone is in a crisis and they feel like they’re about to get in trouble, get thrown in jail, or have an altercation or something, it’s not going to help the situation. I think police are often not trained for it. […]
911 alternatives plan for Seattle
Minneapolis’ mental health responders provide alternative to police
Full text from Axios: Unarmed mental health professionals responded to more than 3,300 911 calls in Minneapolis over the first six months of a pilot program meant to reduce the need for police or ambulances for people experiencing mental health crises. Why it matters: Advocates for the program, which launched in December, say mental health professionals […]
Alternative response officers become permanent part of Saskatoon Police Service
Board of Police Commissioners approves recommendation from police service From CBC News: The Alternative Response Unit (ARU) has been a Saskatoon police pilot project for the past year. The Alternative Response Officers (AROs) work with vulnerable people and help them connect with support services. The officers also assist in everything from transporting arrested persons to […]
911 Alternative Discussions for Seattle
(Seattle). Seattle City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee discussed progress on efforts toward alternative 911 responses on Tuesday. City staff and a representative from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office discussed a Terms Sheet that lays out how they hope to work together moving forward through the process and laid out a rough timeline […]
Western Massachusetts Focusing on Police Alternatives
(Amherst, MA). Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) has a new director. The department has joined several initiatives to offer alternatives to police when a call involves a mental health crisis. CRESS will send responders, trained to deal with mental health, to these calls instead of police. More on this story here.
National Mental Health Care Legislation Brought up in Congress
A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators, Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto and Texas Republican John Cornyn, are pushing for legislation to support local governments that are expanding their mental health-care emergency responses, which seeks to shift the responsibility away from the police. “The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the mental health challenges so many Americans are facing, […]