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The Chicago Times reports in one future pilot program, a paramedic will be dispatched alongside a mental health clinician for "behavioral health calls."
In another, a paramedic will work with a "recovery specialist" on calls involving substance abuse.
The response restructure comes as Chicago Police pension board figures reveal more cops have left the force so far in 2021 than did in the whole of 2018.
In total, 363 officers retired between January and June compared to 339 in 2018, as crime continues to soar across the city.
The number of homicides and shootings in Chicago spiked dramatically in 2020, ending with more bloodshed than in all but one year in more than two decades, as Breitbart News reported.
After three years of falling homicide totals, 2020 ended with 769 homicides — 274 more than the previous year and the most since the 784 homicides in 2016.
Last year ended with 4,033 shooting victims compared with 2,598 the year before.
Mental health clinicians feel the new arrangements can offset those front line loses and casualties as they will be on hand at the 911 center to monitor situations.
Just how well these new responders will be able to de-escalate violence that can erupt during such calls is yet to be explained or demonstrated.
The Times outlines the new programs underwite a "public health approach" to responding to 911 calls.
"We're super excited," said Alex Heaton, Lightfoot's policy adviser for public safety. "This is a brand new workforce for the city, and it's an exciting opportunity to use a public health approach for people likely to come in contact with the first responder system."
The teams will start responding to calls in August, with the rollout coming in the wake of a recent visit to the city by President Joe Biden who ignored the blight of gun violence.
The $3.5 million plan — called Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement — was made public in a June 29 meeting of the mayor's Violence Prevention Planning Committee.
Heaton said he hopes the program will get people the help they need instead of just having them spend time in police custody, according to the Times story."
Reader Comments
Police say that domestic disturbance calls can be among the most volatile and dangerous.
I bet if there are any tragic events where social workers become casualties that the city will be temped to blame the social worker rather than the program.
Good luck living under the Lightfoot regime.
What will the cops do is a big one. They are going to be the wild card there. Are they going to be stupid and place snipers to fire while the counselor is parleying with the one who got carried away almost to the no return point ? They do that once and the project is finished.
Also someone on edge will sense that a counselor is bullshitting.
Some people get carried away in anger in family home settings and do not know how to back down without losing face.
If the cops keep their guns down the project has a chance.
There are a few ''if''.