KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A proposal that would take the first steps towards implementing a new kind of response team was postponed in Knoxville City Council on May 30.
The proposal would have created a task force that would research ways that an "Alternative Response Team" could be implemented in the city's E-911 system. This team would be made up of a behavioral health specialist and either a medic or nurse. The team would be sent to calls involving suicidal ideation, welfare checks, conflict resolution, complaints surrounding homelessness and mental health crises.
"We've been having these discussions with the city for three years now," said Alex Rifald, a member of Knoxville HEART. "We could be on the forefront of this in the southeast and really pushing a new, exciting, safe program that's going to change the way community safety looks."
The advocacy group is spearheading the effort to create an Alternative Response Team. They said the new team would improve outcomes for people in crisis, helping make sure they don't end up in prison while distressed. They also said the team may be able to save the city money, reducing the burden on the Knoxville Police Department to respond to all 911 calls.
"The majority of the calls KPD are responding to are non-crimes, which is kind of wild to think about," said Councilmember Amelia Parker. "We're putting really unfair expectations on our officers to be able to handle these calls."
Right now, Knoxville has a "co-responder" team. This type of team does not operate 24 hours per day and still involves officers. Mental health workers are paired with an officer to respond to calls involving mental health issues and similar complaints, instead of a nurse.
"People in our city deserve more alternatives than just police showing up in crisis situations," said Parker. "We're taking away the officer, which means we're not going to have people being afraid of being arrested, or just having someone who's armed on the scene, which can really heighten anxiety for people."
The existing teams answered around 1,500 calls in 2022. However, there are only four co-responder teams who operate on specific hours. The new Alternative Response Team may be able to work 24 hours per day.
The proposal discussed on Tuesday was postponed until June 27. It wouldn't have created an Alternative Response Team but would have instead created a task force that would look into the feasibility and requirements to create such a team. Funding for the task force would need to be allocated in the operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year either through a budget amendment, or money could be given from an existing fund in the budget.
The task force would need to be formed within two months of the resolution's approval, and it would need to make a proposal within six months after forming. The budget for the task force would be $50,000.
Parker proposed the resolution and noted that Knoxville identified a need for trauma-informed services through a Sequential Intercept Mapping process in the fall of 2022. According to a release, the process also found the city needs services for vulnerable people who may not seek help due to fear of the criminal justice system, which could lead to an increase in overdose deaths.