To handle Chicago’s roughly 175 behavioral health-related 911 calls each day, the city relies almost entirely on the police — an approach that can lead to jail detentions, unnecessary hospitalizations and violent police confrontations.
A pilot program under Mayor Lori Lightfoot aims to curb the police role. The program, Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement, is setting up mobile teams that include paramedics, mental health clinicians and, in some cases, cops trained in crisis response. The teams aim to deescalate crises and connect people to the care they need. Since the program’s September 2021 launch, CARE responses have not included any arrests or uses of force.
