Alternative to police: Columbus approves $400,000 for different response to 911 calls

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The next time you call 911, it may not be Columbus police showing up to the scene.

City Council approved a $400,000 deal Monday with Mission Critical Partners, a company offering public safety consulting, to lay the groundwork for a nonpolice response service. It will develop a plan that would see units other than the police, or even firefighters, sent out to "nonviolent, low-acuity" calls for service, like a mental health crisis.

"When you have a fire, you get a firefighter. When you have a violent incident, you get a police officer," Council President Shannon Hardin said. "We're trying to build a whole new third response."

In February 2023, City Council announced funding for a nonpolice response pilot program. At the end of April, the city put out a request for proposal for ideas on how to spend that funding, with the goal of moving from a pilot into a full service.

Currently, Columbus has programs where a trained person -- such as a social worker -- is sent out along with a police officer or firefighters to respond to situations like a mental health crisis. The difference is that under this new program, no one other than that person would be sent.

"Our belief is that if a grandmother is having an incident, mental health incident, that they should be able to get a social worker to come and deal with them," Hardin said.

This change is necessary, according to Hardin, for at least two reasons. He believes not all 911 calls require an officer to be dispatched, but also because alternative responders lighten the load on Columbus police.

"We all know that our police are overtaxed, overworked and we are trying to hire more and more of them," Hardin said.

To create the nonpolice response, Mission Critical Partners will first look at Columbus' current practices. Once it has researched what the city is doing in response to 911 calls, it will create a pilot program to see how nonpolice response could work.

Hardin couldn't predict when the pilot program would be developed into its final product, but he said the creation of the 2025 budget will be when dollars can start to be allocated toward the program.

"I'm happy the city is finally putting some resources behind making this a reality," Stephen David, community organizer with the Columbus Safety Collective, said. "At the same time, the timeline has been frustrating and we hope with the amount of money being spent, we get a clear report."