D.C. Extends Program Diverting Mental Health Calls From Police
One of several reforms aimed at reducing fatal interactions between police and those with behavioral emergencies, D.C.’s pilot aims to route more 911 calls to social workers.
D.C.’s pilot program to divert some mental health emergencies away from police responders has been extended, and proponents hope it can start taking a larger share of 911 calls.
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North AmericaA year after the killing of George Floyd, Washington, D.C., launched a six-month pilot routing some 911 emergency calls about behavioral issues away from police and toward a team of social workers. Other cities, including Denver, Los Angeles and New York City, have launched similar efforts. All reflect the need to reduce a troubling statistic: A quarter of the people shot by police in the U.S. are experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a 2020 report by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.
With the first phase of the pilot complete, D.C. will extend its initiative, and expand it dramatically. Only 330 calls — or an estimated 2% — of the district’s calls for service about behavioral health issues ended up routed to the team.