SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and other city officials plan to add a response unit for 911 calls that don’t require typical, armed police officers. The Seattle Times reports officials said Friday they are still working out details, and nothing will launch until at least next year. Durkan says the idea is to provide 911 dispatchers with a new option for certain calls, like wellness checks, that are associated with neither criminal nor medical emergencies. The mayor says the new response could be similar to the city’s Health One program, which sends firefighters and social workers to nonemergency medical calls. It will likely be staffed by civilian city employees, possibly partnered with particular officers.
Seattle plans to add special response for some 911 calls
