Alternative 911 Emergency Response

Overview

Jurisdictions pursuing alternative 911 emergency response initiatives aim to safely triage emergency calls to unarmed responders trained to de-escalate crises and connect residents to community-based resources. Alternative teams have the potential to reduce overreliance on traditional law enforcement and emergency medical responders by instead dispatching professionals equipped with the tools necessary to resolve a crisis without creating unnecessary criminal justice system involvement. This can create more equitable outcomes for communities of color and others disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. Furthermore, alternative teams can reduce the burden on traditional first responders, enabling them to focus their limited resources more directly on pressing public safety concerns and medical emergencies. For these efforts to be successful, jurisdictions must invest in implementation efforts to sustain the impact of these innovative changes to emergency response.

The GPL’s Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort helps participating jurisdictions test and demonstrate methods of developing, improving, and expanding the use of unarmed emergency response teams that can be directly dispatched to 911 calls. These teams are composed of trained responders, like social workers, peer support specialists, and EMTs. The GPL provides selected jurisdictions with pro bono applied research capabilities and various forms of technical assistance to support different phases of implementing alternative emergency response programs. This opportunity is designed to help jurisdictions preparing to launch new alternative response initiatives, change or expand existing ones, or integrate multiple programs.

The GPL supports jurisdictions testing an array of innovative approaches to alternative response; thus, our research and implementation assistance depend on the jurisdiction. This support includes analyzing 911 call data and designing call decision trees, creating training curriculum for response teams and 911 staff, assisting with procuring services from local providers, writing responder team protocols and procedures, tracking key performance metrics to guide program iteration, identifying barriers to diverting 911 calls eligible for alternative response, and more.

Since launching its inaugural cohort in September 2021, the GPL has conducted applied research and provided intensive technical assistance to 9 accepted applicants representing 17 jurisdictions on their alternative 911 emergency response programs. In the 2023–2024 Cohort, the GPL is supporting 15 members – including 11 new Cohort members and four members from the previous Cohort. The GPL has also created implementation insights with an accompanying community of practice, composed of over 240 representatives from more than 70 governments.

As of August 2023, four participating jurisdictions have launched new teams to dispatch directly from their 911 call centers. Three Cohort participants – Chicago, IL, Phoenix, AZ, and Washington, DC – have already expanded their alternative 911 response programs. Three additional participants are set to expand their programs (Harris County, TX, Durham, NC, and San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, CA), and one is on track to launch (Allegheny County, PA). Together, these alternative response teams have responded to thousands of 911 calls ranging from mental health crises to welfare checks and continue to engage with their community’s residents to ensure those in crisis receive the right response at the right time.

Headshot of Ryan Smith“The GPL Implementation Cohort is one of the best technical assistance experiences I’ve participated in. Sometimes, technical assistance requires a lot of producing extra deliverables for the organization, which becomes added work, and there is none of that here. This is striking that sweet spot of helping us with wherever we are at."

- Ryan Smith, Director of Durham’s Community Safety Department

IMPLEMENTATION COHORT OVERVIEW

Through the 2023–2024 Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort, the GPL provides multiple forms of pro bono applied research and technical assistance to jurisdictions working to develop, improve, or expand alternative response programs.

Cohort participants include 11 new members: 

  • Alameda County, CA
  • Alexandria, VA
  • Amherst, MA 
  • Baltimore, MD 
  • Cambridge, MA 
  • City of Lawrence/Douglas County, KS 
  • City of Los Angeles, CA 
  • City of Madison/Dane County, WI 
  • Portland, OR 
  • Sacramento, CA 
  • Tucson, AZ 

Additionally, the GPL will continue to support the four members from the 2022–23 Cohort: Allegheny County, PA; Chicago, IL; San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, CA; and Washington, DC. 

Through participation in the Cohort, jurisdictions receive customized support, which can include: 

  • Short-term, active 1:1 coaching for local government staff with the opportunity to extend support based on need. Coaching focuses on conducting a needs assessment and reaching key implementation milestones for pilot launch or assessing existing call diversion rates and identifying barriers for program iteration or expansion. Past support has included selecting team geographic location to increase impact, analyzing 911 call data and program eligibility requirements to help maximize divertible call volume, developing staff hiring and training materials for program launch or growth, and/or establishing outcome metrics to track equity goals and team performance over time;
  • Access to adaptable implementation template materials and peer government examples including 911 call for service analysis approaches, call triage decision trees, responder team on scene and 911 protocols, responder team and 911 training curriculum, data strategy plans for program iteration and performance management, and service provider requests for proposals (RFPs);
  • Real-time support from GPL staff and monthly jurisdiction-to-jurisdiction troubleshooting through GPL facilitated calls with peer governments. 

Representatives from other jurisdictions can join the GPL's community of practice and subscribe to the GPL listserv to stay up to date on other opportunities to engage with the GPL.

Learn more about the Cohort in this press release.

Headshot of Alvin Teng“I was pleasantly surprised at the level of GPL 1:1 individualized support. GPL staff having direct conversations with 911 dispatch was important. It was so useful to have someone come in, identify, and collaboratively implement the analysis that needs to happen. The GPL’s support was monumental and unstuck the data sharing concerns.”

 - Alvin Teng, Special Projects Coordinator, Long Beach Health Department

 

Headshot of Dr. Richard Bebout“The GPL’s technical assistance allowed us to accelerate our goals to expand and scale our 911 diversion initiative. The GPL team coordinated across multiple agencies to build consensus towards expanding our program from just one eligible 911 call type to several new proposed call categories. These planned changes will mean more residents calling 911 in crisis will receive support from trained behavioral health experts.”

- Dr. Richard Bebout, Chief of Crisis Services, DC Department of Behavioral Health

Headshot of Barbie Robinson“We are truly grateful to the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab for their technical assistance and applied research support of our Holistic Alternative Responder Team (HART) program. With an initial goal of responding to 750 calls, the HART program has responded to more than 2,200 calls over the last year and will expand into additional communities in Harris County. The GPL played a critical role by bringing together County partners to help build consensus and support for the development of our alternative response model. We couldn’t have accomplished this without their leadership and support.”

- Barbie L. Robinson, Executive Director, Harris County Public Health

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Government Performance Lab?

The Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) supports governments in building just and effective service systems by developing hands-on tools for the design and implementation of reforms. We do this by working closely with state and local governments to develop and test ways to successfully design, manage, and sustain reforms. Using research-driven insights from this work, we then spread these practices to communities across the country.

What is an alternative 911 emergency response team?

The GPL’s Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort is designed for jurisdictions that are developing, improving, or expanding the use of teams of unarmed, professionally trained responders to be directly dispatched to 911 calls. Team members vary based on unique jurisdictional needs and may include peers, social workers, EMTs, paramedics, substance abuse specialists, community health workers, and other community or health specialists. One of the core goals of creating an alternative team should be to reduce overreliance on traditional law enforcement and medical system responses by instead dispatching professionals equipped with the tools necessary to resolve a crisis without creating unnecessary criminal justice system involvement.

The GPL has supported a range of alternative response teams and program models and is open to supporting new approaches in the future. Some examples of past models include:

  • County-led program with contracted provider: A county-led alternative 911 emergency response initiative coordinates a regional response across several pilot cities within the county. Responder teams are staffed by a local community-based organization through a request for proposal (RFP) process. Eligible calls are triaged by 911 and dispatched to responder teams directly.
  • City-led program: City-led alternative 911 emergency response initiative teams are staffed by the city behavioral health department. Eligible calls are triaged by 911, then sent to 988 for a telephonic resolution or dispatch of a responder team.
  • Program in transition: A city currently runs a mobile crisis outreach team that receives calls from a regional crisis hotline. The city is interested in transitioning the team to be directly dispatched to 911 and 988 calls.

What support can I expect as part of the implementation cohort?

As part of the Implementation Cohort, jurisdictions can expect to receive a selection of tailored, deliverable-based technical assistance supports, guidance informed by relevant national level expertise about the alternative response field, and facilitated learning opportunities with peer cohort governments. Supports vary in length to meet the varied needs of individual jurisdictions; support may last from 3-12 months. In our first two cohorts, the GPL has supported jurisdictions in a variety of ways, including through GPL-facilitated 911 call for service analyses to aid in the selection of eligible call types and exclusionary criteria, responder team hiring support through development of job descriptions and interview guides, assistance in writing an RFP to contract day to day team operation to a local community-based organization, guidance for a team’s data collection process to aid in program iteration and evaluation, assessment of call diversion rates and call triage processes to identify barriers to more effective or expanded delivery of alternative response, and more. Future support will be responsive to the individual needs of the jurisdiction and identified in collaboration with the GPL.

Who typically participates in the Implementation Cohort?

The Implementation Cohort supports U.S. local and regional jurisdictions that are committed to piloting, launching, or expanding alternative 911 emergency response teams (defined above) in the upcoming year. States and regional planning or coordinating agencies must have commitment from cities or counties within their borders where teams will operate. Any local government entity may participate on behalf of their jurisdiction, including any combination of city or county level executive, emergency dispatch, public health, community safety, or law enforcement offices, or council of governments.

To participate in the cohort, a jurisdiction's alternative response program must meet the following requirements:

  • Responder teams are staffed with unarmed responders
  • Goal is to directly dispatch 911 calls to teams
  • Demonstrates cross-agency and community stakeholder collaboration
  • Has a strong commitment to advancing equitable outcomes for communities of color and others disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system

WHEN DOES THE NEXT APPLICATION ROUND OPEN?

Please subscribe to the GPL listserv to receive updates about our alternative 911 emergency response work, research, and technical assistance.

What can I expect during the application process?

The first round of applications for the 2023-24 cohort is now closed. If jurisdictions are selected for round two, they will be asked to participate in a Zoom interview and set up a reference check call with local community partners (see question below).

What will the round two interview process be like?

Round two interviews will be held via Zoom call and are designed to help us learn more about the specific alternative response work in your jurisdiction, including your program goals and collaborative structure. Jurisdictions will be asked to bring key representatives from relevant government agencies, such as 911 emergency communication directors, staff from a mayor’s or city manager’s office, and program managers, to participate in the interview. During this round, jurisdictions will be asked to verbally confirm their ability to sign a Harvard memorandum of understanding (MoU), provide letters of support from jurisdiction leadership as part of consideration for final selection, and agree to a reference check call with a community stakeholder(s) of their choosing.

If selected, what is required of my jurisdiction to participate?

To participate in the Alternative 911 Emergency Response Implementation Cohort, the GPL requires jurisdictions to submit letters of support from leadership and sign a memorandum of understanding. Other requirements for participants include:

  • Designating a primary point of contact for program implementation, who will meet with GPL staff and peer participants regularly. The GPL anticipates jurisdiction project points of contact spending 1-4 hours a week on dedicated 1:1 GPL staff support, based on jurisdiction need, in addition to 1-2 hours of monthly cohort group learning time.
  • Identifying 2-3 priority areas for support delivered by the GPL.
  • Securing a commitment from key jurisdictional leaders to support the receipt of outside technical assistance support for an extended period.

What should I do if I have additional questions?

For questions, reach out to GovLab@hks.harvard.edu

“With the GPL’s help, we seamlessly coordinated across county stakeholders who had not worked together before and dove into call-for-service data. Their support helped us quickly estimate eligible calls from a complicated dispatch system, analyze potential program impact, and identify promising pilot locations.”

 - Kathi Yost, Director of Communications, Harris County Sheriff’s Office (now leading HART)

“With their external expertise of the field and dedicated staff time, the GPL has been paramount in assisting Chicago's multi-agency effort in understanding where we needed support. They were able to combine both valuable new ideas and hands-on support to facilitate the expansion of our program. Their direct support in our 911 call center helped us identify and address staff concerns, deploy innovative call-taker trainings, and build greater collaboration between call takers and crisis responders. As our alternative response initiative expands, the GPL’s support means that our 911 call center is ready to connect more Chicagoans to the right resources."

- Carla Orlandini, Deputy Director, Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications

Alternative 911 Emergency Response Community of Practice

The Alternative 911 Emergency Response Community of Practice is open to governments exploring, planning, implementing, or expanding alternative 911 emergency response teams. Designed exclusively for government staff, the community of practice provides representatives from over 80 governments across the country with practical tools and actionable insights emerging from the GPL’s alternative 911 emergency response work and research (see above). The community of practice convenes monthly, providing a space for participants to engage with government peers on topics such as:

  • Outcomes tracking
  • Team training
  • Request for proposal (RFP) design
  • Community outreach
  • Stakeholder collaboration
  • Scaling and expanding pilot programs

Join the Community of Practice

Community of Practice Frequently Asked Questions

Who should sign up for the Community of Practice?

These calls are relevant for leaders and staff in state and local government charged with the design, implementation, or expansion of an alternative 911 emergency response team.

Jurisdictions that apply to receive the GPL’s alternative 911 emergency response support (see above) but are not invited to participate will automatically be invited to the community of practice and do not need to complete an additional registration. For jurisdictions interested only in the community of practice, register here; no additional application is required.

What can I expect during the Community of Practice?

These sessions are designed to support:

  • Sharing: Calls feature presentations highlighting learnings from both jurisdictions receiving the GPL’s alternative 911 emergency response support and other leaders in the emergency response field.
  • Discussing: Calls often include Q&A discussions facilitated by GPL staff about common opportunities, challenges, and questions jurisdictions are facing in the relevant topic area.
  • Connecting: Participating government leaders make new connections and gain an expanded understanding of what their peers are working on.

Why a Community of Practice?

During the GPL’s conversations with government leaders about alternative 911 emergency response work, many expressed interest in understanding how their peers were approaching the implementation and expansion of alternative response teams. Based on this input, the GPL launched a community of practice in September 2021 for governments pursuing local alternative 911 emergency response initiatives. Since then, over 240 leaders and staff from more than 80 state and local governments have participated.