Seattle City Council is making strides towards implementing a new approach to emergency response by hiring unarmed "crisis responders" to handle 911 calls instead of police officers.
The initiative, known as the 911 Dual Dispatch/Alternate Crisis Response pilot program, received $1.6 million in funding from the midyear supplemental budget.
Councilmember Lisa Herbold, a leading advocate for defunding the police, expressed her satisfaction with the progress during an interview, stating that the city is finally hiring for the six positions on the alternate response team. These crisis responders will be dispatched by 911 operators to handle calls that do not require police or fire department intervention.
Herbold emphasized that the police department will still be aware of the dispatch and may choose to attend, stage nearby, or simply maintain situational awareness, depending on the nature of the call. She highlighted the significance of this program, which has been in development since August 2020, as a way to address emergency situations without relying solely on law enforcement.
Herbold's efforts to defund the police and allocate funds to social worker programs have had significant consequences for Seattle. The city has experienced a mass exodus of officers, with nearly 600 leaving the department, leading to a surge in violent crime and record-breaking homicides.
However, the impact of Seattle's defunding experiment has not been limited to the city itself. Companies like Amazon have relocated divisions to nearby cities such as Bellevue, partly due to concerns about public safety.
In a recent development, Bellevue's City Manager Brad Miyake hired Joseph Todd as deputy city manager, a decision that has sparked controversy. Todd, who ran for Renton School District and city council on an anti-police/BLM platform, lost both elections. He has been accused of making derogatory remarks towards his black opponent and expressing his frustration with the loss of black lives at the hands of law enforcement.
Sources have revealed that many members of the Bellevue Police Department and city management are outraged by Todd's appointment. Despite his history of demonizing the police, Miyake defended the decision, citing Todd's commitment to public service, innovative problem-solving, and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The city's chief communications officer, Michelle DeGrand, stated that Todd's political involvement was thoroughly vetted, and the hiring process involved input from various city leaders, including the police chief.
Bellevue operates under a city manager form of government, where professional staff oversee operations and hiring decisions. The city council is not directly involved in personnel selection, except for hiring the city manager. The council was informed about Todd's appointment, following the usual process for filling professional staff positions.
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