The local Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) union is proposing that someone other than the police answer more than two dozen types of 911 calls in an effort to shift the workload from officers to more serious crimes.
The move is part of a national trend to limit situations where armed police are the first to respond.
The proposal announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles Police Protective League lists 28 types of 911 calls where they would first be routed to other city agencies or nonprofit organizations.
The LAPD reported a total of 16 police shootings in the second half of 2022.
The appeals range from mental health issues, quality of life issues and homelessness, school issues and wellness checks, to certain non-fatal traffic accidents, parking violations, dumps, noisy parties, public intoxication and begging.
The league said officers would respond if the situation turned violent or criminal, but only after the initial call was forwarded to another agency or affiliated nonprofit.
“The police are not psychologists. We are not psychiatrists. We are not mental health experts. We are not social workers, doctors, nurses or waste management experts,” Debbie Thomas, one of the union’s directors, told a press conference on Wednesday.
“I think a lot of people think we should be all of those things, but we’re not. We should be focused on responding to emergencies, saving lives (and) property, and of course engaging in neighborhood policing.”
Police Chief Michel Moore said he welcomed the union’s push for “an alternative response from non-police services to non-emergency calls”.
Moore said the department has worked with elected officials to establish a support resource network that includes mobile therapy vans and a mental health crisis hotline.
LAPD officers who staged three deadly incidents earlier this year, despite facing widespread criticism, received support for their actions today.
“These emerging alternatives have already diverted thousands of calls from a police response, allowing officers to focus on our most essential business,” Moore said in a statement.
Cities like San Francisco, San Diego and Nueva York, así como Los Ángeles, ya han implemented programs en los que los médicos se seize con oficiales o trabajan en equipos civilians para responder a las llamadas al 911 que involucran a alguien que tiene una crisis de Mental Health.
The changes came as part of a broader review of law enforcement in the United States following the 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. This included examining how the police handle mental health and other calls that do not include violence or crime.
Three men have died after altercations with LAPD officers that led to a meeting with members of the Black Lives Matter organization and police officers to try to make a difference on the policy.
Los Angeles’ proposal comes during the union’s contract negotiations with the city and amid calls from activists to reduce or eliminate armed responses to certain situations. City council and the mayor’s office will be involved in the final decision, the union said.
Activists have long called on Los Angeles police to stop responding to some mental health calls, minor traffic collisions and homeless encampment encounters, pointing to occasions when officers shot and killed people during the answer.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office had no immediate comment on Wednesday. Bass promised during his campaign to create a Public Safety Bureau that would not include the LAPD.
The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday there was a personnel shortage.
Hugh Esten, spokesman for City Council Speaker Paul Krekorian, said the union’s proposal will be given serious consideration as city officials work to “ensure sworn staff are deployed where it’s really necessary and that unarmed first responders deal with these situations.” necessary. useless”.
With downsizing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the union said its proposal would free up officers to respond to bigger calls, like violent crime, and allow officers to engage more in policing. of proximity to establish better relations with the inhabitants of the city.
Other cities have also experimented with similar models, such as Portland, Oregon, where unarmed “public support specialists” collect reports on things like carjackings and bike thefts.
Ruby Flores is a Mexican-born woman who serves as a small group of female commanders in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
In 2021, LAPD launched a pilot program to transfer some mental health calls to service providers. The department has also set up dual response teams that pair officers with doctors in situations involving mental health crises and homelessness, as well as domestic violence and abuse.
Also in 2021, the LAPD stopped responding to minor traffic accidents; a deputy chief at the time said the change would eliminate agents who answer about 40,000 calls a year.