Unarmed 911 Teams Reshaping Public Safety Response in Nearly 100 Cities

Nearly 100 cities across the United States have adopted unarmed response teams as an alternative to traditional police dispatch for certain 911 calls, according to a report from NPR Health.

Under these programs, some communities send mental health clinicians rather than armed police officers to respond to emergency calls that involve behavioral health crises rather than violent or criminal activity, the report said.

Researchers cited in the report consider a program in Durham, North Carolina to be a success, though the report did not detail the specific metrics or outcomes researchers used to reach that assessment.

The broader shift toward unarmed crisis response has gained attention in recent years as cities look for ways to address mental health emergencies without escalating encounters that historically involved armed law enforcement.

The NPR report did not specify how the nearly 100 cities' programs are funded, how clinician teams are trained, or what categories of calls are excluded from unarmed response.