New York City to try sending crisis workers on mental health calls rather than police

(Image credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

published 11 November 2020

New York City is launching a pilot program in February where mental health and crisis workers will be sent to emergency mental health calls instead of police officers.

"For the first time in our city's history, health responders will be the default responders for a person in crisis, making sure those struggling with mental illness receive the help they need," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement on Tuesday.

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In New York, police officers and emergency medical technicians respond to most 911 calls involving mental health issues. During recent anti-police brutality protests, demonstrators have been asking for a change, saying when police show up at a mental health call it can escalate the situation, sometimes violently. The New York pilot program is being modeled off of what is done in Eugene, Oregon, where unarmed mental health professionals respond to calls rather than police.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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