Officers making an arrest [BE file]
Amid changes to policing across the country, the Oakland City Council is set to approve a pilot program where 911 operators will direct trained civilians to handle mental health calls.
The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) will be implemented in the East Oakland Area and will run as a police free operation within the Oakland Fire Department. Two person teams of emergency medical technicians and trained community members will handle mental health calls and low level 911 calls. Those include public urination, erratic behavior, and welfare checks.
According to Yahoo News, the final details are being worked out between the fire department and stakeholders.
Dec 11, 2020
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., introduced two bills on Wednesday after high profile killings of Black Americans at the hands of police officers and growing calls for policy changes to prevent future violence.
During a virtual roundtable discussion, Casey announced the Law Enforcement Education and Accountability for People with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative, to help bring about racial justice and address the high incidence rate of police violence involving people with disabilities. The LEAD Initiative is comprised of two bills â the Safe Interactions Act and the Human-services Emergency Logistic Program (HELP) Act â which would reduce calls to 9-1-1 call systems regarding non-criminal emergencies and provide robust training to law enforcement on interacting with people with disabilities, including those experiencing a mental health crisis.