Community Safety

Durham Community Safety Department (DCSD) works to enhance public safety through community-centered approaches to prevention and intervention as alternatives to policing and the criminal legal system. In its second year, the department has three primary functions: piloting new response models for 911 calls for service, collaborating with community members to identify additional approaches to public safety, and managing and evaluating existing contracts and external partnerships intended to advance public safety.

INTRODUCING HEART: DURHAM'S NEW CRISIS RESPONSE PILOTS

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On June 27th, 2022, DCSD launched 3 new crisis response pilots that aim to connect people experiencing non-violent mental health crises or quality of life concerns with the right care by sending new responses that better match residents’ needs. A fourth pilot launched at the end of September 2022. Our goal with these pilot approaches is to connect our Durham neighbors to the right care — starting from the point at which someone calls 9-1-1, to the warm handoff to those prepared to help meet the needs of our neighbors in crisis.

These first response teams operate under the name of "HEART" (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams).

HEART's 4 crisis response pilots are:

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD): CCD embeds mental health clinicians in Durham's 9-1-1 call center.
Community Response Teams (CRT): CRT dispatches unarmed 3-person teams as first responders to non-violent behavioral health and quality of life calls for service.
Care Navigation (CN): Care Navigators follow up with people after meeting with one of our first responders to help connect to the community-based care they need and want.
Co-Response (CoR): CoR pairs clinicians with Durham police officers to respond to certain calls for service that pose a greater potential safety risk.

Scroll down this page to learn more about each pilot.

HEART'S DATA DASHBOARD

Come see what we're learning! Community Safety tracks and shares data about each of the HEART pilots at www.durhamnc.gov/HEART-data, or click the image below to view the most up-to-date information:

HEART_data-dashboard Jan 19 2023 Opens in new window

CRISIS CALL DIVERSION
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAMS
CO-RESPONSE
CARE NAVIGATION

Crisis Call Diversion embeds licensed mental health clinicians into Durham’s 911 Call Center to triage, assess, and respond to behavioral and mental health related calls for service.

Pilot Goals:

Connect callers who are experiencing mental or behavioral health crises to the right response and care based on their needs.
Divert appropriate behavioral and mental health related calls for service away from unnecessary in-person responses or interactions with the criminal justice system.
Reduce risk of harm when responding in-person to mental health crises.

Crisis Call Counselors embedded in our 911 call center serve 8 major functions:

Assess 911 callers’ needs, complete safety plans, and help identify the appropriate response.
Divert non-emergent crisis calls that do not require an in-person response.
Connect people to resources to support with future mental health-related needs.
Dispatch Community Response Teams as appropriate.
Consult with 911 dispatchers, providing information that can support better outcomes.
De-escalate situations prior to the arrival of first responders.
Support first responders in the field as unanticipated mental health related issues arise.
Follow up with callers after a crisis to check in and help connect them to any services that might be needed.

For answers to common questions about each crisis response pilot, read below.

Looking for something printable?

Download this Q&A as a printable document.
Download trifold brochures about HEART in English and Spanish.

HEART pilot overview thumbnail Opens in new window

What does this pilot do?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD) adds clinicians to our 911 Call Center so we can quickly connect you to a mental health professional when you or a loved one is experiencing a behavioral health crisis

Community Response Teams (CRT) dispatch unarmed, 3-person teams as first responders instead of police when you call 9-1-1 about non-violent mental health crises or quality of life concerns

Co-Response (CoR) dispatches clinicians along with CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) -trained Police Officers to higher risk 911 calls involving mental health crises or quality of life concerns

Care Navigation (CN) provides in-person or phone-based follow-up after meeting with one of our responders when you need additional support connecting to care

Who is staffing each pilot?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)
Licensed mental health Clinicians

Community Response Teams (CRT)
Licensed mental health clinicians, peer support specialists and EMTs

Co-Response (CoR)
Licensed mental health Clinicians (in partnership with Durham Police Department CIT-trained Officers)

Care Navigation (CN)

Licensed mental health clinicians and peer support specialists

When might I interact with this pilot?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)
When you call 9-1-1

Community Response Teams (CRT), Co-Response (CoR), and Care Navigation (CN)

When you need an in-person response to a 9-1-1 call and live in the pilot service area.

Can I request this response?

All pilots: Residents should not worry about how to request the right response. Please continue to call 9-1-1 and Call Takers will route the call to the appropriate responder based on the needs of the caller.

Where does this pilot operate?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)
Durham citywide

Community Response Teams (CRT), Co-Response (CoR), and Care Navigation (CN)
In 12 police beats (111, 114, 112, 113, 122, 214, 223, 411, 413, 511, 512, 513) represented in this pilot service area map.

What are the hours of operation?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)

Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm

Community Response Teams (CRT)
7 days/week, 10am–9pm

Co-Response (CoR)

Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm

Care Navigation (CN)

Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm

What kinds of calls are eligible for this pilot?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)
Suicide Threat, Mental Health Crisis, and other calls involving behavioral health concerns

Community Response Teams (CRT)

Suicide Threat, Mental Health Crisis, Trespass, Urgent and Non-urgent Welfare Check, Intoxicated Person, Panhandling, Nuisance, Prostitution, Public Indecency and Lost Person calls where the person is not in possession of a weapon or physically violent toward others.

Co-Response (CoR)

Attempted suicide; Custody issue; Involuntary commitment; and any of the following where there is an increased risk of violence and/or a weapon is present: Trespass; Intoxicated person; Panhandling / nuisance; Indecency / lewdness; Prostitution; Physical or verbal disturbance; Harassment; Threat; Reckless activity; Abuse; Threat; Domestic violence

Care Navigators (CN) will follow up with our neighbors after an initial interaction with one of our staff from CCD, CRT, or COR.

How were these pilots developed?

All pilots have been developed with much careful planning that continues to be highly collaborative, community-informed, data-driven and evidence-based.

Is Durham the first to do this?

Crisis Call Diversion (CCD)
No. Durham is the first in the State of North Carolina, but some other U.S. cities with this program include Houston, Austin, Charleston, and Philadelphia

Community Response Teams (CRT)
No. Durham is the first in the State of North Carolina, but some other U.S. cities with this program include San Francisco, Portland, Denver, and Albuquerque

Co-Response (CoR)

No. Some other U.S. cities with this program include Denver, Houston, Raleigh, among others. While many cities' co-response programs run entirely out of their Police or Fire departments, Durham partners two public safety departments, Community Safety and Police.

Care Navigation (CN)

No. Some other U.S. cities with this program include Raleigh, Greensboro, and San Francisco

How can I stay informed about these pilots?

We will post monthly dashboards that will provide a lot of data and information on each pilot. That dashboard is live and will continue to be updated and improved.

What kind of uniforms will they wear and how can I identify them?

HEART responders do not wear a traditional “uniform” and instead wear matching teal shirts with distinctive logos to help you identify them in the community. Keep an eye out for HEART staff and their vehicles:

How will teams be able to communicate with neighbors who don't speak English, or are hard of hearing?

HEART currently has two Clinicians and one Peer Support Specialist who speak fluent Spanish and the team uses an interpretation service that allows them to immediately connect with an interpreter over phone and video in over 240 languages, including ASL.

Have more questions? View our FAQ page for answers to other commonly asked questions about the Department and these pilots.

Department Careers

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN JOINING OUR TEAM!

As a new department, Community Safety will be growing a lot over the next year. We are looking for individuals committed to this department’s mission and who want to be part of work that reduces harm, is highly collaborative, people-centered, equity-oriented, data-driven, and trauma-informed.

The majority of our positions will be dedicated to piloting new response models to a subset of 911 calls. These positions may have backgrounds as social workers, licensed clinicians, qualified mental health professionals, peer support specialists, counselors, case managers, and EMTs.

If you are interested in joining our team, please check our current job openings.

Department Priorities

What DOES the community safety department do?

Community Safety has three priority areas of focus in its first two years:

1. Develop and pilot crisis response models for a subset of 911 calls.

The goal of alternative responses is to send the right response based on the needs of residents in crisis. People call 911 for a variety of reasons and needs. There is evidence to support that some of these diverse needs could best be met by clinicians and other trained civilian responders with extensive expertise responding to mental and behavioral health needs, providing trauma-informed care, and connecting residents to services.

2. Provide oversight and management of contracts and partnerships.

Community Safety will provide oversight and management of a number of contracts and partnerships with external organizations that are intended to promote a safer Durham, including the City’s contract with Durham County to expand Bull City United’s Violence Interrupter program and with Legal Aid to continue the Durham Expunction and Restoration Program that provides free legal services to residents to improve employability by helping remove eligible charges from criminal records and by restoring driving privileges.

3. Providing staff support to Durham's Community Safety and Wellness Task Force.

The community-led Durham Community Safety and Wellness Task Force was created by the City, County, and Durham Public Schools, beginning a two-year term in April 2021. Completely independent from the Community Safety Department, the task force is “charged with examining the public safety and wellness needs of Durham residents and communities, educating residents on existing safety and wellness resources, and providing recommendations for additional programs to enhance public safety and wellness that rely on community-based prevention, intervention, and re-entry services as alternatives to policing and the criminal legal system.”

The Community Safety Department's role is solely to provide staff support to the task force that may include answering research questions, collecting and analyzing data requested by task force members, and providing general administrative support. Community Safety staff do not set or drive the agenda of the task force. It is truly a community-led body.

department Background

Why did the City of Durham create the new department?

Understanding Community Needs

In August 2020, at the request of the City Manager and in partnership with RTI International, the City launched an in-depth analysis of Durham 911 calls-for-service data to help us better understand the needs of Durham residents and what types of resources could best address those needs. This work included:

Analysis of nearly 1 million calls that came into Durham between October 2017 and October 2020
A use of force analysis
A survey of and focus groups with Durham first responders including the Durham Police Department (DPD)
Research of other promising alternative response models occurring in cities across the country
View the results from this effort

Exploring New Approaches

Based on this analysis, growing evidence from other U.S. cities, and input from City Council, we identified some 911 call types where we believe that we can best respond to the needs of residents by dispatching trained, unarmed responders that may include Licensed Clinical Social Workers, mental health Clinicians, and Peer Support Specialists paired with Emergency Medical Technicians. These call types include:

Some calls involving mental and behavioral health needs
Minor traffic incidents
Quality of life issues
Calls for general assistance

Creation of the Community Safety Department

The need to advance this important work of sending the right response based on the need of residents, as well as to oversee the City Council’s investment of nearly $1 million to expand Durham County’s violence interrupter program, the City Manager concluded that it was necessary to create a new department.

Statement from City Manager Wanda Page about the creation of the Community Safety Department:

“One of the highest priorities areas we think about, and work on daily, is how best to keep our residents safe and well. It’s no secret that there is great concern about violent crime in Durham. At the same time, there is concern about the history of policing in our country and its impact on people of color. Right now, Durham has an opportunity to lead the way and find new, equitable, and innovative approaches to keep our community safe and well.

The creation of this department reflects our belief that responding to the safety and wellness needs of all of our residents requires more than police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. Our first responders remain absolutely necessary and crucial to our public safety services moving forward. We still need policing to help protect our community.

But, it’s unfair to expect them to address every single issue our residents experience. For example, to expect that - on top of everything they must do - they address mental and behavioral health needs or connect residents to social services to help them through a crisis. I’d like to note that many of our officers also support exploring other ways to address 911 calls that don’t need an officer response.

Meeting these sorts of diverse needs requires that we broaden our imagination of what public safety and first responders look like in Durham. I believe, as does the City Council, that creating this department is an important first step in that journey.”

Community Safety

INTRODUCING HEART: DURHAM'S NEW CRISIS RESPONSE PILOTS

These first response teams operate under the name of "HEART" (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams).

HEART'S DATA DASHBOARD

Crisis Call Diversion embeds licensed mental health clinicians into Durham’s 911 Call Center to triage, assess, and respond to behavioral and mental health related calls for service.

Pilot Goals:

Crisis Call Counselors embedded in our 911 call center serve 8 major functions:

Pilot Goal:

Community Response Teams serve 5 major functions:

Send a licensed clinician with a CIT (Crisis Intervention Team)-trained police officer to respond to highest risk calls involving mental and behavioral health needs.

Pilot goals:

Co-Response entails a joint response from Durham Police and Community Safety departments and serves 6 major functions:

Two-person teams of a Peer Support Specialist and Licensed Clinician provide in-person or phone-based care following an initial encounter with HEART crisis responders, with the intention of following up until the neighbor is connected to the care they need and want.

Pilot goals:

How does Care Navigation work?

For answers to common questions about each crisis response pilot, read below.

What does this pilot do?

Who is staffing each pilot?

When might I interact with this pilot?

Can I request this response?

Where does this pilot operate?

What are the hours of operation?

What kinds of calls are eligible for this pilot?

How were these pilots developed?

Is Durham the first to do this?

How can I stay informed about these pilots?

What kind of uniforms will they wear and how can I identify them?

How will teams be able to communicate with neighbors who don't speak English, or are hard of hearing?

LEARN MORE ABout our work

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN JOINING OUR TEAM!

What DOES the community safety department do?

1. Develop and pilot crisis response models for a subset of 911 calls.

2. Provide oversight and management of contracts and partnerships.

3. Providing staff support to Durham's Community Safety and Wellness Task Force.

Why did the City of Durham create the new department?

Understanding Community Needs

Exploring New Approaches

Creation of the Community Safety Department

Statement from City Manager Wanda Page about the creation of the Community Safety Department: