City officials on Thursday announced the launch of a new program involving calls for service involving homeless individuals. The Alternate Response Program is a partnership between the Lincoln Police Department and CenterPointe.
The program allows Lincoln’s Emergency Communications Center dispatchers to determine the appropriate level of response when handling calls regarding homeless residents. In cases where they don’t need medical attention and are not violating laws, members of the CenterPointe Street Outreach Team will be called instead of LPD officers or emergency medical technicians.
Outreach staff would then ensure the individuals have their basic needs met and connect them with homeless outreach services. “By redirecting these calls for service to the community partners who can best address the human services needs of unsheltered individuals, our LPD officers have more time to focus on calls requiring law enforcement,” says Interim Police Chief Michon Morrow.
Dispatchers have now been trained to ask a series of questions to determine whether a call requires the outreach team or other immediate emergency services. LPD officers will continue be available to respond if CenterPointe staff is not able to within 20 minutes. Previously, two LPD officers would respond to calls regarding unsheltered residents.
The program also allows for a more compassionate interaction with one of Lincoln’s vulnerable populations . “This new approach creates a more dignified response and is much less dehumanizing way to contact people and still accomplish the same outcome,” says LPD Investigator Melissa Ripley.
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