LEAP's Community Responder Model

1. Police are dispatched to too many non-criminal, non-life threatening 911 calls for service. This is a waste of time, police resources, and tax dollars.

2. We have put too many responsibilities on the shoulders of police, making us less effective at our intended function, which is to respond to serious crimes. Meanwhile, our presence may escalate a situation, putting our own lives and the lives of any civilians involved at risk or injury or death.

3. Police-community relations are suffering in part because police are expected to be warriors, social workers, and mediators all at the same time. When we fail to help or make a situation worse, people lose faith in us and we start to view the people we serve as unreasonable or unhelpful.

LEAP is working on the ground in cities to advance the community responder model, which diverts 911 calls that do not require an armed police response to trained civilian responders and phone-based alternatives -- preventing an armed officer response for up to two-thirds of all police calls for service. 

We are not just putting a model out there, but actively working with city leaders in individual cities to help them move the idea forward locally. We have already partnered with cities on the following action steps:

1. Initial Data Analysis

2. Stakeholder Buy-In: asset mapping of local infrastructure; persuading key players to support the plan

3. Intensive City-Specific Engagement

4. Collaboration with Local Community Groups: ensuring that the city listens to community input

5. Providing Ongoing Support to Ensure Successful Implementation

Recent Efforts

• LEAP and the Center for American Progress released our Community Responder Model. We are actively working with city leaders in over 20 individual cities to create action plans and move the model forward locally.

• We have achieved significant media coverage, attracting interest from reform-minded city leaders and police from Evanston to Milwaukee, and providing local advocacy groups with materials to help persuade skeptical city leaders and police. 

  • We published a feature article on the model in Police Chief Magazine.

  • We were featured in a USA Today article on Community Responders [retweeted by Obama!]

  • Detective Debbie Ramsey (Ret.)’s op-ed on community responders appeared in the Washington Post.

  • Officer Dave Franco (Ret.)’s op-ed appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times.