• March 28, 2024

Albuquerque Set To Replace Police Officers with Unarmed Social Workers for Some 911 Calls

 Albuquerque Set To Replace Police Officers with Unarmed Social Workers for Some 911 Calls

Unarmed social workers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will now respond to specific 911 calls instead of the police department, the city’s mayor announced Monday.

Democratic Mayor Tim Keller announced the creation of Albuquerque Community Safety, which will serve alongside the Albuquerque Police Department and Albuquerque Fire Department, as a “first-of-its-kind” department to respond to calls on inebriation, homelessness, addiction and mental health.

“The department will give 9-1-1 dispatch an option when a community safety response is more appropriate than a paramedic, fire-fighter, or armed police officer,” according to the city’s media release.

The creation of the new department is the result of two years of work to transform Albuquerque’s approach to public safety.

“While many cities are only now waking up to these issues, Albuquerque is well into its police reform process and we decided to tackle these tough questions head on when we took office,” Keller said.

For years, we’ve heard the public calling for a better solution for de-escalation and more officers for community policing, and we have been listening.

“It’s time we stop asking officers to do everything, and time we get people the help they need instead of sending armed officers to knock on their door.”

He added that the creation of the community safety department will “deliver a civilian public health approach to public safety.”

“We want to send the right resource to the right call — especially where a social worker or trained professional can connect people with the services they need, instead of simply taking folks to jail or the hospital, which have been the only choices until now,” Keller said.

The new group would refocus millions of dollars through the budget process into the public health model with a civilian-based response, and allow police officers to focus their time on violent crime.

A spokesperson for the mayor told The Washington Post that the new department was part of the city’s response to the “defund the police” movement that has gained traction following the death of George Floyd, who died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for roughly nine minutes during an arrest.

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3 Comments

  • 311 Dispatcher: 311 here. State the nature of your problem.
    Caller: There’s a wild man throwing Molotov cocktails into our homes! Please send help!
    311 Dispatcher: Remain calm. Please record your zip code. A coroner will be dispatched in the morning. Power to the People!

  • What a bunch of F###ing IDIOTS!

  • I can’t think of a better way to get rid of unwanted social workers!

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