Meet the New Generation of Unarmed Responders in this New Podcast Series
This three-part podcast looks at efforts across the country to deploy first response units that use unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to mental health emergencies.
“The Fifth Branch,” a podcast from Tradeoffs and The Marshall Project, examines new, alternative ways to respond to 911 crisis calls.
This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, and Tradeoffs. Sign up for The Marshall Project’s newsletters here, and for Tradeoffs podcasts and newsletters here.
One out of every five people shot and killed by police in the U.S. since 2015 was in the middle of a mental health crisis, according to tracking by The Washington Post. These deaths, along with pressure from activists, have prompted cities across the country to change their approach to emergency calls. Instead of armed police, a new generation of first responders, including EMTs and social workers, are handling 911 calls involving mental illness, addiction or homelessness.
To understand how well these programs work, reporters from Tradeoffs, with support from The Marshall Project, followed the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team in Durham, North Carolina, as they responded to crisis calls and developed an entirely new public safety agency. Marshall Project reporter Christie Thompson spoke with national experts, researchers and advocates to understand how Durham compares with the rest of the country, and what the challenges and successes have been for these teams nationwide.
Over the course of “The Fifth Branch,” a three-part podcast series, Tradeoffs reporter Ryan Levi dives deep into the pioneering new model in Durham, while Thompson shares a national perspective.
Episode 1: Convincing the Cops
Sending unarmed clinicians to 911 crisis calls is a bold new idea. We explore the challenges Durham faced trying to convince stakeholders, from community advocates to rank-and-file police officers, to buy into HEART.
Episode 2: Keeping People Safe
Proponents of alternative crisis response say these programs make communities safer. We dig into personal stories and data to see if Durham’s program is living up to that promise for people in crisis, police officers and its own unarmed responders.
Episode 3: The Last Line of Care
Alternative response teams are being asked to tackle vexing problems: mental illness, homelessness, addiction. How much can they actually do? We explore how Durham grapples with connecting people to long-term care and support, and where the city draws the line between crisis response and social services.
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