Unarmed social workers, not cops to respond to some 911 calls now in this large city
June 16, 2020 | Frieda Powers
New Mexico’s largest city will now respond to certain emergency calls with social workers instead of police officers.
The left’s push to defund and dismantle police departments in the wake of the death of George Floyd has sparked some radical moves like the announcement in Albuquerque of a “first-of-its-kind†model of a civilian public safety department to respond to some 911 calls.
“When you call 911, all across America, the response is fire or police or both,†Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced at a news conference Monday.
“We’re adding a third response into that equation by developing a civilian, professionally trained approach, a public health approach really, to public safety,†the Democrat added, introducing what the city is calling the Albuquerque Community Safety Department.
The “cabinet-level department†will be removing armed and trained police officers from handling situations such as those dealing with homelessness, addiction and mental health. Instead, unarmed professional social workers will be responding to non-violent calls in an effort, reportedly, to take the strain off the police department.
“We’re creating a new model for community safety that sends the right resource at the right time on the right call and that’s where our current two departments have always struggled,†Keller said.
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https://www.bizpacreview.com/2020/06/16/unarmed-social-workers-not-cops-to-respond-to-some-911-calls-now-in-this-large-city-935290
