City officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico have launched a plan to use social workers to respond to certain 911 calls instead of police. Under this plan, social workers, homelessness specialists and violence prevention coordinators will be dispatched instead of police officers in certain instances.
“We’ve placed more and more issues on the plates of officers who are not trained — despite their best efforts and despite some training — they’re not totally trained to be a social worker, or to be an addiction counselor, or to deal with things around child abuse when they’re just answering a call,” Mayor Tim Keller said.
Mayor Tim Keller to Refocus Millions in Public Safety Resources with First-of-Its-Kind Civilian Response Department https://t.co/1X9JkWatBj pic.twitter.com/sQoEEwmezu
— Mayor Tim Keller (@MayorKeller) June 15, 2020
“We should have trained professionals do this, instead of folks with a gun and a badge,” Keller continued.
This new civilian led response team will focus on calls relating to inebriation, homelessness, addiction and mental health. As a result, the city will shift millions of dollars over to properly train professionals how to operate within the new public health model.
In response to these changes, Albuquerque Police Chief Mike Geier appeared excited. Geier told reporters that he was “relieved” and believed that this model would lighten the workload for officers.
