"In the first six months of health care professionals replacing police officers, no one they encountered was arrested"

A young program that puts troubled nonviolent people in the hands of health care workers instead of police officers has proven successful in its first six months, according to a progress report.

Since June 1, 2020, a mental health clinician and a paramedic have traveled around the city in a white van handling low-level incidents, like trespassing and mental health episodes, that would have otherwise fallen to patrol officers with badges and guns. In its first six months, the Support Team Assisted Response program, or STAR, has responded to 748 incidents. None required police or led to arrests or jail time.

The civilian team handled close to six incidents a day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, in high-demand neighborhoods. STAR does not yet have enough people or vans to respond to every nonviolent incident, but about 3 percent of calls for DPD service, or over 2,500 incidents, were worthy of the alternative approach, according to the report...read more

please help my husband, who is going through some rough health issues right now. Let him gain his strength and be able to work and support us. The loss of my parents has caused health and financial burdens upon us. Please remove the devil from the hearts of the siblings who have left us struggling to make peace and able to grieve for our loss. May the lawyers and judges see through their devious works soon. I pray for my husband, kids, grandchildren, friends, and all who are suffering with health, finances, travel, jobs, and relationships, that we all be healed and come together as a peaceful, healthy country. I ask you continue guiding me and helping restore my faith and hope that has been tarnished through all this.