This policy report details the current landscape of first response in Buffalo and Erie County, describes community responder programs in other cities, and makes recommendations for establishing community responder programs here.

According to new data released in the report, over 80% of 911 calls to Buffalo Police do not involve crime or violence, and yet police are almost always sent. Instead, community responder teams composed of health professionals and trained peers can be safely deployed without police to many calls and prevent situations from escalating into a crisis. Teams provide person-centered care and emotional support including de-escalation and mediation, non-emergency medical care, basics like food and water, and linkage or transport to community resources such as shelters or treatment facilities for further care.

In other cities, community responder programs have stellar safety records, with no deaths or serious injuries for staff or members of the public. Many programs respond to tens of thousands of calls a year and divert up to half of noncriminal calls from a police response. Community responder teams rarely need to call for backup, with programs requesting an ambulance or police assistance in less than 3% of all calls. The cost savings to police, court, jail, ambulance, and hospital systems are significant.

It is rare for activists, police, federal and local governments, and people across the political spectrum to agree on an issue, especially one as charged as public safety, but they agree on this: community responders are a better way to handle non-violent, non-criminal health and social needs in the community. They can provide person-centered, compassionate health care, save police time and frustration, reduce costs to taxpayers, and solve community problems. They reduce trauma, intervene early, build trust, and strengthen the social fabric of neighborhoods by creating a safety net for people of all races, ages, abilities, and economic backgrounds. Residents feel safer knowing they have a trusted, appropriate resource they can call in a time of need. Buffalo and Erie County need community responders now, and a pilot program should be launched as soon as possible.

This report was written by Colleen Kristich, Senior Community Researcher at PPG.

It is a product of the collaborative efforts of the Community Responders for Erie County Coalition, whose members include Nicolalita Rodriguez of Little People’s Victory, Phylicia Brown of Black Love Resists in the Rust, Colleen Kristich (report author) of Partnership for the Public Good, Emma Fabian of Evergreen Health, Charis Humphrey of Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition, Alia Williams and Kat Cejka of VOICE Buffalo, Amy Cross-Viola of Social Welfare Action Alliance and numerous individuals including Adam Selon, Tanvier Peart, Lindsay Acker, Rose Thomas, Rabbi Jonathan Freirich, and Kartika Carr. Special thanks to Brooks Denton-Zimmerman, Sydney Browne, and Becca Bass for their research and writing on earlier drafts, and to Nina Gomez for conducting a thorough and detailed analysis of Buffalo Police Department call data.

Partnership for the Public Good and the Community Responders Coalition are grateful to the Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation for their generous support of this community change work.