Since the murder of George Floyd five years ago, police departments, especially those in larger jurisdictions across the country have been grappling with staffing shortages for a number of reasons, including a criticism of policing practices. Such scrutiny has led to a rise in the implementation of co-responder or alternative response programs within law enforcement departments for calls involving mental health emergencies, for example.
Departments have also turned to these programs to increase recruitment and retention rates, though some raise concerns about the safety of those answering calls that would have normally been answered by police officers. CPE’s Charlotte Resing, Government Affairs Manager at CPE, explains why such concerns do not outweigh the benefits of alternative response programs:
Still, just having uniformed cops show up can add stress to a situation. Although questions remain about which calls are safe for alternative responders to address without police backup, that’s not a unique circumstance. “We send EMTs to the scenes of dangerous situations all the time and they’re able to ascertain for themselves whether or not they need police backup,” says Charlotte Resing, of the Center for Policing Equity, which advocates for public safety policy changes meant to protect communities.
Read more on the Governing’s website.