LA Crisis Response: Council Members Push for Permanence

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Los Angeles could be on the verge of a major shift in how it responds to mental health crises. On Friday,two City Council members introduced a motion to make permanent a pilot program that sends trained clinicians-rather of police-to certain 911 calls. It’s a move that’s sparking debate about public safety, budget priorities, and what it *really* means to respond to someone in need.

Unarmed Response Teams: A Potential Lifeline for L.A.?

A new proposal aims to expand a program diverting mental health calls away from police and toward specialized care.

• The pilot program, launched in 2024, has reportedly resolved over 96% of calls without police intervention.
• The proposed motion seeks to establish a centralized dispatch system for crisis calls.
• The cost of sending a crisis response team is roughly half the cost of deploying LAPD officers.
• Council members cite potential liability savings from reducing armed officer involvement in mental health situations.

Q: What’s the goal of this new motion? A: The motion seeks to permanently adopt and expand a pilot program that diverts 911 calls related to mental health crises from the Los Angeles Police Department to specialized, unarmed responders, ultimately aiming to improve response times and efficiency.

Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Bob Blumenfield formally introduced the motion on Friday, seeking permanent adoption of the pilot program. Currently, when residents call 911, dispatchers can divert certain calls to a centralized center. From there, one of three nonprofits-Exodus Recovery Inc., Alcott Center, and Penny Lane Centers-handles the response. These organizations employ staff trained in de-escalation, conflict resolution, substance abuse support, and cultural competency, according to city officials.

The program isn’t starting from scratch. City Council and Mayor Karen Bass previously expanded the unarmed crisis response model, increasing funding to nearly $11.3 million. Each nonprofit now covers additional LAPD divisions: Alcott handles Wilshire and Olympic divisions; Penny Lane covers Devonshire and West Valley; and Exodus covers Southeast and West L.A.

The program draws inspiration from the CAHOOTS model in Eugene, Oregon, a nationally recognized crisis intervention program that’s been operating for decades.

Hernandez and Blumenfield described L.A.’s