Program allowing mental health professionals to respond to low-risk situations extended

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Cincinnati city leaders extend a pilot program that allows mental health professionals to respond to low-risk situations instead of officers.

It is called Alternative Response Crisis and it kicked off this past July.

On Tuesday, the law committee met to go over data, which suggests a large need for the resource.

Most of the calls were for situations including mental health concerns, welfare checks, and people who appear to be intoxicated.

“There's no lights or sirens," said Bill Verda, director of Emergency Communication Center. "We don't want their presence to be at all like a public safety response. They're not uniformed or wearing street clothes. We want them to be as non-threatening and approachable as possible.”

The program will extend throughout 2023.

Leaders just announced a dashboard to make new data available for the public.