Denver STAR Program Provides Alternative to Police
On June 1, 2020, Caring for Denver, a nonprofit funded through a passed ballot initiative, launched a project designed to provide alternatives to police officers during a non-criminal situation. The Support Team Assisted Response (“STAR”) Van provides assistance to emergency calls that do not require a police presence by rerouting 911 calls. The van is equipped with one full-time mental health clinician and two part-time paramedics who rotate shifts. When a 911 operator receives a call about non-criminal crises and mental health needs, the operator can dispatch the STAR Van to the location to provide a viable alternative.
Importantly, the STAR Program distinguishes itself from the typical police or ambulance response by providing medical and non-medical support in plain clothes. The van itself is nondescript with no decals and stocked with medical equipment and other items, such as chips, water, and condoms. Since its start, the STAR Program has responded to over 500 phone calls and made contact with individuals with a variety of needs. These needs range from substance abuse and homelessness issues to suicide attempts and other mental health crises.
Denver’s STAR Program is modeled after the CAHOOTS (“Crisis Assistance Helping Out On the Streets”) Program in Eugene, Oregon. The CAHOOTS Program was originally implemented in 1989 but has since reemerged as the premier alternative to community policing. The program has an annual $2.1 million budget compared to the Eugene and Springfield Police Department’s combined $90 million annual budget. However, the program is estimated to save the city of Eugene $8.5 million in public safety spending annually. Besides its economic efficacy, the program has also proven itself a viable alternative in handling heavy call volumes. In 2019, CAHOOTS received 24,000 calls, approximately 17 percent of the Eugene Police Department’s overall call volume. Of those 24,000 calls, only 150 of them required police backup.
FLAWS OF 911 SYSTEM
The 911 system arose out of President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended that individuals have a way to connect with their local police departments through a single telephone number. Prior to the 1960s, individuals were tasked with the responsibility of reaching out to their departments through their own telephone number or asking an operator to connect them. The need arose out of people’s inability to report suspected crimes or fires efficiently.
However, the 911 system has evolved since that as a catch-all for public service needs. The 911 system receives over 240 millions calls every year. Although initially designed as a means of reporting violent interactions, most calls do not involve a violent crime. In fact, a study of 10 mid-sized to large cities in America found that approximately 1 percent of 911 calls actually involved violent crime. Another study put that figure around 10 percent. In 2015, 50 million Americans came into contact with the police, about half of which were the result of citizen-requested police services.
The 911 system is fundamentally flawed by the very nature of its design. When an individuals calls 911 to summon police, the initial contact occurs at a 911 call center, also known as a Public Safety Answering Point (“PSAP”). The initial call taker is required to collect the relevant information about the event, including information about the incident and a suspect where applicable. Then, this call taker categorizes the call based on a list of predefined categories and often, the call is transferred to a secondary PSAP wherein a police dispatcher will relay the information to responding officers.
The accuracy (and adequacy) of the information can have a determinative effect on the outcome of the call. Call takers are trained to prioritize the potential public safety risk to the responding officers. Thus, if a caller is uncertain or ambiguous, the call taker will often speculate the worst possible scenario to ensure officers are prepared. This speculation leads to a more aggressive response by police, increasing the danger of the situation for all involved. In fact, police downgrade 20 to 40 percent of all crime calls once at the scene of the event.
Further, PSAPs decide whether or not police officers should be sent to the scene of an event when taking an emergency call. When no alternative response system exists, police officers are an unnecessary given. Police officers remain the wrong response to deal with non-criminal emergencies and mental health crises. In 2015, the Treatment Advocacy Center estimated that people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than other civilians. Police officers, already poised for the worst possible scenario when arriving on scene, lack the training necessary to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis or substance-induced disruptive behavior. Alternatives to community police, like the STAR Program, place the responsibility in the hands of a mental health clinician trained to deal with these types of encounters.
Although the STAR Program is a 6-month pilot program, the City of Denver budgeted an additional $3 million for the program in 2021. This allotment, despite budgeting shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic, signals a positive reception towards alternative emergency response systems.
We at Baker Simpson Law hope that the STAR program continues in Colorado and expands to other cities in need of an alternate response program. If you have had police contact recently and you are in need of legal assistance, please go to our Contact Us page to request a consultation.