WA Rep. Smith proposes bill to divert funds to unarmed 911 response efforts
Mar 12, 2021, 9:06 AM | Updated: 10:59 am
Seattle police officers Wes Phillips, left, and Tori Newborn talk with Corvin Dobschutz as part of Seattle’s Navigation Team. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
While state legislators are working on a series of bills to reimagine policing at the local level, Washington Rep. Adam Smith is targeting a more national approach.
Police reform efforts at state level focus on accountability
That came in the form of a new bill Rep. Smith introduced in Congress on Thursday, which would divert federal funds toward programs across the country that focus on nonviolent responses to 911 calls.
“Too often, law enforcement officers are tasked with responding to situations they are neither trained nor equipped to handle,” Smith said in a written release. “Directly addressing systemic racism and restructuring law enforcement’s approach to public safety must recognize the range of urgent needs that are best addressed without police involvement in a holistic, equitable way that centers on getting individuals the resources and services they need.”
In practice, the bill would set up a grant program that gives money to state, city, and tribal governments “to develop and institute 911 diversion programs.” That would include funds to train 911 operators to properly route nonviolent calls, and money for “alternative programs that utilize unarmed professional personnel.”
It would also push to have those experiencing homelessness and/or mental health crises be “met with professional service providers” capable of rendering proper de-escalation, and transportation to “necessary treatment.”
A similar proposal was floated in Seattle last year by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who sought to have the city establish a 911 service composed of unarmed medics and mental health workers, offering counseling, conflict resolution, housing referrals, first aid, and more.
Seattle councilmember unveils bill to reshape 911 services
Ultimately, the city opted to start building out a civilian led “Community Safety and Communications Center” as part of the 2021 SPD budget, shifting Seattle’s 911 call center and parking enforcement unit into that new department.
