Almost 100 U.S. cities had implemented alternative 911 response programs by September 2026, where unarmed mental health clinicians, rather than police, respond to certain calls. These programs, which began with just six cities in 2020, represent a growing shift in handling nonviolent emergencies, especially those involving behavioural health.
Durham, North Carolina’s Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART), launched in 2022, had responded to over 25,000 calls by September 2026. A preliminary Duke University study found that the program increased 911 calls, signalling rising public trust. Furthermore, a 2025 RTI International study linked the program to fewer arrests, high approval among police officers, and minimal need for police backup.
Ryan Smith, director of the Durham Community Safety Department, told NPR: “Honestly, I would say if you can send a social worker to a call that you could send a law enforcement officer and you got the same results, then it’s already a success.” Former Durham police chief Patrice Andrews added that the programme helped responders feel part of a broader public safety team, even though they are not police officers.
The Marshall Project reported no known major injuries among community responders nationwide and noted that in Eugene, Oregon, only about 1% of calls required police support. Denver’s STAR team saw a 34% drop in low-level crime in neighborhoods served by the team, according to a 2022 study.
These civilian response models are gathering momentum in large U.S. cities. An Associated Press report from August 2023 found that at least 14 of the 20 most populous cities had started or hosted similar programmes, with combined annual budgets exceeding $123 million. The focus remains on de-escalation and stabilising situations without police involvement when appropriate.
Though evidence indicates reductions in arrests and increased safety for responders, experts caution that measuring the long-term impact on communities is complex. Amos Irwin from the Law Enforcement Action Partnership said, “It is the easiest data point to get and to compare programs. It’s a shortcut. It doesn’t tell you the quality and whether they manage to make a long-term difference in the lives of the people that they served.”
These alternative emergency response initiatives mark significant experimentation in public safety, redefining traditional roles of law enforcement and promising new ways to address mental health and low-risk incidents. With growing public trust and support from police departments, the model may expand further as cities seek safer and more effective emergency responses.
Further research and monitoring are needed to understand the full impact, optimal deployment strategies, and sustainability of these teams. CapeFlats.co.za will continue to track developments in alternative emergency response models and their influence on community safety worldwide.