Charlotte to gauge interest in program that prevents sending police to mental health calls

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte City Council budget could cover a new program to help the Queen City better respond to certain kinds of 911 calls.

The city council is gauging interest in many programs asking for funding -- including responding to 911 calls. The city may stop sending Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers to select mental health calls when you dial 911.

The Civilian Assistance: Response, Engage, Support team’s goal is to help people struggling with mental health, substance abuse and homelessness.

At least two people would respond to calls, including a physician and a paramedic.

Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari said he’s concerned about safety.

“A solution is not less cops, more medical professionals, because the medical professionals simply aren’t going to go (into) these dangerous situations,” Bokhari said. “It’s not what they do.”

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However, Robert Dawkins, with Action NC, says every 911 call will be screened to ensure the responding team is safe.

“That the calls do not involve guns, weapons, the person is stable and non-violent,” Dawkins said. “Any calls that there’s a threat of a weapon, or the person being dangerous, those wouldn’t be CARES calls.”

CARES is asking the city for $1 million to get the pilot program up and running by the end of June. It would first focus on uptown Charlotte and the Beatties Ford corridor.

Dawkins says CARES could help a lot of people.

“The biggest hope is helping people in their moment of need without the fear of criminalization, in making these calls for service be something that’s handled in a medical emergency situation, as opposed to fear of arrest,” Dawkins said.

Charlotte is looking to other cities with similar programs in place. Places like Denver, Colorado and Eugene, Oregon already have similar plans of action.

The Crisis Assistance Helping out in the Streets team in Oregon shifts some non-emergency 911 calls away from police responses to instead focus on mental health outreach.

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City leaders there say the program frees up officers to reduce response times for more serious crimes, and it has reduced the likelihood of police violence.

(WATCH BELOW: Family of woman charged with killing man in east Charlotte says she struggles with mental health)