Oakland council OKs shifting some disturbance calls from police to fire department
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Oakland Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton holds a press conference,as firefighters get the upper hand on a fast moving fire along Grizzly Peak Blvd. on Wed. August 2, 2017, in Berkeley, Ca. Moraga Orinda Fire Chief Stephen Healy is at left.Michael Macor / The Chronicle
The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to create a new agency within the Fire Department to handle the behavioral calls that traditionally have fallen on police, for people intoxicated in the street, disturbing the peace or acting erratically.
Although it had unanimous support from the council members, the resolution and ordinance to start the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland program, known as MACRO, left many questions unanswered.