Los Angeles touts results of pilot program of sending unarmed crisis responders instead of cops for some emergencies

[essentialsaltes]

For the past year, Los Angeles has been testing a program that dispatches specially trained civilians who don’t carry guns in response to certain calls for help. The report released earlier this month by the city said the early results are encouraging.

“When deployed to non-violent, non-urgent calls for service, unarmed crisis responders have been shown to minimize the potential for escalation and address critical mental health emergencies in a manner that prioritizes compassion and safety,” the report said.

The use of so-called “unarmed crisis responders,” the report found, not only offers specialized care to people who need help — it also allows “LAPD more time to focus on traditional law enforcement efforts.”

The ongoing pilot program has teams of licensed clinicians, social workers, community workers and therapists who work in pairs, responding to calls around the clock, seven days a week. Over its first year, the program handled more than 6,700 calls, largely to conduct welfare checks and respond to reports of public intoxication and indecent exposure.

Although some skeptics questioned whether unarmed civilians would too often be overmatched by the subjects they encounter, the recent report found that fewer than 4.1% of calls end up requiring police backup. Those cases typically involved individuals who insisted on having an officer present or who turned out to have weapons, the report said.

The outreach workers conduct follow-up visits after certain calls and offer specialized services to people who are willing to accept them, including mental health treatment and drug rehabilitation programs.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

California: After Cutting Police, Overtime Costs Strain LA's Budget

With donuts now over $20 a dozen and a cup of coffee topping $3, working a shift for the Los Angeles Police Department isn’t what it once was. But with overtime pay at 1.5 times the regular hour

www.realclearinvestigations.com

It sounds like there are some factors that are being overlooked.


This wasn't a case where police were overstaffed it was a bunch of police sitting around with free time on their hands, and were responding to mental health crisis calls for "something to do"

In 2020, a total of 14,902 LAPD employees (both sworn officers and civilian staff) made a total of $1.71 billion. Four years later, the department shrank to 12,617 employees but cost the city $1.73 billion – an increase due at least in part to the boost in costly overtime pay to cover for the shortage of sworn officers.

But despite the thinner ranks and thicker payroll, local policymakers have opted for further cuts to the department’s manpower, which could drive up overtime pay even more.


Of the 15,000 LAPD officers that were on the payroll in 2020, about 1200 of them had undergone an intermediate level 6-month training (MHIT) on dealing with mental health issues and domestic dispute de-escalation.

Are they as a good at it as a mental health professional who specializes in it? Obviously not.

But when there's already staffing shortages and a variety of issues (both violent and non-violent), replacing a portion of "Jacks of all trades" with "Masters of one" creates some logistical challenges.


Basically you're taking a person who:
Is "okay/slightly above average" at being able to respond to a domestic dispute -- but can also respond to a car theft, bank robbery, or a stabbing in a park
And replacing them with a person who:
Is absolutely amazing at handling the domestic disputes -- but can't offer any help on those other things

It's a not a reciprocal backup situation.

 

[caffeinated.hermit]

Honestly, I think this is a good idea. The police seem trained to give firm orders ("Get on the ground!") and then take things to the next level if those orders are not complied with, or if they feel threatened. Someone suffering a mental health crisis who is unarmed may not understand how to comply, or not be able to. This new experimental approach is good, imo.

 

[ozso]

Honestly, I think this is a good idea. The police seem trained to give firm orders ("Get on the ground!") and then take things to the next level if those orders are not complied with, or if they feel threatened. Someone suffering a mental health crisis who is unarmed may not understand how to comply, or not be able to. This new experimental approach is good, imo.

Watching police bodycam footage is a hobby of mine. And most of the time cops strive to defuse and deescalate as much as possible. I usually see amazing levels of patience and restraint on the part of the police.