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Seattle (July 23, 2021) – Building off of the City’s work to reimagine policing and community safety, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced a proposal to create a new specialized triage response that will provide an alternative model for some non-criminal 9-1-1 calls and reduce the need for a sworn officer response for some calls. The specialized responses will include professionals that are experts in outreach, behavioral health, and have tangible connections to the communities that they will serve. When at full capacity, this specialized response could respond to the potentially 8,000 – 14,000 non-emergency wellness check calls currently handled by sworn officers at the Seattle Police Department.
“Seattle residents expect and deserve a timely 9-1-1 response, and part of reimagining community safety means providing meaningful and effective alternatives to a sworn officer. Building off of the success of the Seattle Fire Department’s HealthOne model, the new specialized triage response will provide an alternative response to some 9-1-1 calls,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “This specialized triage response will be a critical resource as we work to address the needs of our communities while reducing the need for sworn officers to respond to things like wellness checks…
