Meet the unarmed response team taking on crime in Boston

[LittleLebowski]

Best of luck! :)

#SmileAndWaveBoys (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=SmileAndWaveBoys)

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/08/03/massachusetts-communities-unarmed-response-teams/

75290

[LittleLebowski]

https://media.giphy.com/media/Uo0CJ8l5kVh2E/giphy.gif

[SiriusBlunder]

75291

(Pretty sure I got this from FB, but if it was from here, my apologies for posting again)

[AKDoug]

Blue shoes will be the first one to get capped.

[JohnO]

I hope a requirement for their position is a Will.

[AKDoug]

I hope a requirement for their position is a Will. I seriously doubt anyone in that picture owns anything of value.

[HeavyDuty]

The world needs idealists, if nothing else to show the rest of us cold reality.

[45dotACP]

I genuinely do hope they're successful.

But my yardstick for "successful" here is "They don't get shot, stabbed, beaten or strangled to death"

If they can respond to the stupid little squabbles that 55 year old Karens have when their neighbor parks on their grass, or someone is in the park celebrating a birthday playing their music too loud....so much the better.

I'm just ASSuming they probably won't be dispatched to domestic violence calls, shots fired calls, riots, bar fights and naked-dude-with-sword-and-erection calls

[Mark D]

Deleted for unnecessary snark.

[Yung]

I've only skimmed through the article, but it appears the people in that photograph are the idea guys rather than the ones who have to do anything.



Co-Chair Adriana Paz, center, is joined by fellow members of the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition outside City Hall in Lynn. The city is moving forward with plans to have a crisis team, rather than police officers, respond to certain incidents.

[peterb]

I genuinely do hope they're successful.

But my yardstick for "successful" here is "They don't get shot, stabbed, beaten or strangled to death"

If they can respond to the stupid little squabbles that 55 year old Karens have when their neighbor parks on their grass, or someone is in the park celebrating a birthday playing their music too loud....so much the better.

I'm just ASSuming they probably won't be dispatched to domestic violence calls, shots fired calls, riots, bar fights and naked-dude-with-sword-and-erection calls

Yup. I’m glad they’re trying. Learning will occur. We’ll start getting more data instead of just speculation about this type of program.

From a program in Montana:

“… Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer also noticed the benefits after two mental health professionals started to respond to 911 calls in Bozeman and the surrounding area in 2019. Although deputies in his department are trained in crisis intervention, he says that goes only so far.

"When I hear deputies say the mental health provider is a godsend, or they came in and were able to extend the capabilities of the response, that means something to me," Springer says. "And I hear that routinely now."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/06/10/1004744348/in-montana-crisis-support-teams-offer-alternatives-to-policing-mental-health

[Coyotesfan97]

I have no issues with the concept. It’s generally the implementation I worry about. The problem with most crisis teams like this is availability. Are they responding to calls for service at 0200? If they are what’s they’re response time. When I worked graves it was generally 30-45 minutes if you were lucky as the CT covered the whole valley and usually were driving from downtown Phoenix. The other thing was, just like fire, if there were any threats of violence or weapons present they called PD, staged, and waited for the code four.

I suspect they’ll have a hard time filling positions and they’ll get unarmed people in situations that will get them hurt or killed.

[Baldanders]

I've only skimmed through the article, but it appears the people in that photograph are the idea guys rather than the ones who have to do anything.

And they haven't even hired consultants yet.

I have a feeling the folks in that photo may have little to do with planning or implementing this initiative, ultimately, other than getting the ball rolling. And maybe PR. But I am cynical.

[Totem Polar]

Blue shoes will be the first one to get capped.

I had that thought too. Fairness requires noting that it could be any of them though.

[NEPAKevin]

I had that thought too. Fairness requires noting that it could be any of them though.

I would go with either blue shoes or the guy in the back left. The woman standing between them, OTOH, has this "take the damn picture or I will shove this stupid t-shirt up your ass" look.

[BN]

I wonder if some of them will have red shirts?

[Greg]

The guy all the way on the left in the back row is just in it for free donuts.

[Balisong]

Thank God we live in the age of cell phones.... because the forthcoming videos will be GOLD

[AKDoug]

I wonder if some of them will have red shirts?

I see what you did there :D

[UNK]

The guy all the way on the left in the back row is just in it for free donuts.

Where do i sign up!

[Navin Johnson]

Likely making way more than Police.......

[Joe in PNG]

And they haven't even hired consultants yet.

I have a feeling the folks in that photo may have little to do with planning or implementing this initiative, ultimately, other than getting the ball rolling. And maybe PR. But I am cynical.

They'll get lots of money to come up with stupid, unworkable ideas. Someone else will get lots of money to then take those ideas, add their own stupid & unworkable, and foist it onto the city. The city will then take those stupid & unworkable ideas, spend lots of tax dollars, and after a lot of time and money has gone by, realize they don't work... well, maybe not the current group, but those elected to clean up the stupid and unworkable mess.

And that group will end up either spending lots of money for a new set of stupid, unworkable ideas, or spend even more money to try to get close to what they have now.

If the city is really lucky, it will stop at those people just getting lots of money to come up with stupid, unworkable ideas, and quietly go no further.

[Coyotesfan97]

Where do i sign up!

Mmmm donuts

[UNK]

Mmmm donuts

Dogs n doughnuts. Impossible to go wrong.

[BehindBlueI's]

Likely making way more than Police.......

I doubt it. We've had the push to hire clinicians for mental health response, which honestly I think is a good idea. They are having a lot of trouble hiring because the people who are qualified don't want the work conditions and pay. We have several funded positions empty due to zero candidates.

[DpdG]

I briefly (as in two nights) worked as a bouncer/bar back at a prominent bar in Lynn about 15 years ago. It’s a tough town, known as “Lynn Lynn, city of sin.” There was a race related confrontation in the parking lot at closing time and one of the other bouncers got run over by a Hyundai, which lead to the PD showing up and spraying dozens with OC in an effort to restore order. I decided to stay north of the border and out of the service industry after that.

All that to say the good idea fairy might get some well meaning people hurt badly.

[lwt16]

I doubt it. We've had the push to hire clinicians for mental health response, which honestly I think is a good idea. They are having a lot of trouble hiring because the people who are qualified don't want the work conditions and pay. We have several funded positions empty due to zero candidates.

Same here.

I am eligible to pop smoke soon and inquired with the local MH advocate/employer. Even entertained the idea about getting a MS degree and applying with them.....until I found out that they were making just North of what my son does at Home Depot.

I am a CIT officer/instructor for my agency and we have one lady that rides with various CIT officers five days per week. She is getting a real eye opener as to what silliness we respond to on a daily basis. She rode with me for a bit the other day and I had a guy lie about his name (misdemeanor charge) for no apparent reason. He had no warrants and simply did so to be a jerk.

She had a hard time grasping why he would do such a thing. So she asked him and he told her to get bent. She's discovering that most of what we deal with is crime and drama with a smattering of MH issues arising on occasion. Most of our "crises" are really just drug related stuff and stupidity......and we all know you can't fix stupid.

I know that we have MH employees that drive around to their clients and hand out cash so it's just a matter of time before one of them meets a violent end. Or maybe not......I guess time will tell.

Regards.

[peterb]

I doubt it. We've had the push to hire clinicians for mental health response, which honestly I think is a good idea. They are having a lot of trouble hiring because the people who are qualified don't want the work conditions and pay. We have several funded positions empty due to zero candidates.

Let me guess…..the folks who have the academic credentials don’t like the pay and conditions, and the folks with street experience who are ok with the conditions don’t have the credentials….

You have my sympathies. It’ll only work with the right people, and if you can’t find them you’re dead in the water.

For comparison of pay and conditions for dealing with unhappy people. the median salary for an entry-level EMT is $14/hour.

[lwt16]

Time of day for our lady is 1200 to 2200 which is not even in line with our shift schedules. I am not sure what her personal/home life is but finding people willing to work that shift may be a struggle in and of itself.

Our program is in it's infancy so I won't see how it pans out due to my time here coming to a close. I'll still have connections though and do hope that it takes some of the burden off of officers who are already going to way too many calls that have nothing to do with policing.

[Totem Polar]

For comparison of pay and conditions for dealing with unhappy people. the median salary for an entry-level EMT is $14/hour.

There are signs at McDonalds all over town right now stating “Hiring $14hr.” The pay for EMT has always chapped my ass: these are the people we pay to save lives at car crashes, heart attacks, and accidental child poisonings.

[lwt16]

For comparison of pay and conditions for dealing with unhappy people. the median salary for an entry-level EMT is $14/hour.


There are signs at McDonalds all over town right now stating “Hiring $14hr.” The pay for EMT has always chapped my ass: these are the people we pay to save lives at car crashes, heart attacks, and accidental child poisonings.

Severe shortage here of paramedics. We had a serious car crash the other day and the victim laid there for almost an hour. Not sure he made it.

https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/staffing-shortage-stretches-hemsi-employees-to-the-limit/

Some of the medics told me starting pay was less than 10/hour. Cost of schooling out of pocket was north of 10 grand.

Yeah, that's not going to attract staff.

[BehindBlueI's]

There are signs at McDonalds all over town right now stating “Hiring $14hr.” The pay for EMT has always chapped my ass: these are the people we pay to save lives at car crashes, heart attacks, and accidental child poisonings.

I got my associate's degree in Emergency Medical Technology, got certified as an EMT-I/D (Intermediate with manual defibrillator qualification, one step below paramedic) while in the Army. When I got out I quickly learned that unless you were a firefighter as well, you couldn't make any money at it.

[Lost River]

75291

(Pretty sure I got this from FB, but if it was from here, my apologies for posting again)

I found the first video posted of the "Team" attempting to de-escalate a 250 pound schizophrenic who is off his meds and destroying/kill things with a bat because God told him to, and he is the chosen one..

Here it is:




https://i.imgur.com/1RHTsRP.gif

[peterb]

I found the first video posted of the "Team" attempting to de-escalate a 250 pound schizophrenic who is off his meds and destroying/kill things with a bat because God told him to, and he is the chosen one..]

I was talking with one of our older EMTs about dispatch often having incomplete information and he said “Yeah, I went to a call for ‘unknown medical’ and when I opened the door there was a naked guy with a knife.”

“What did you do?”

“I shut the door.”

[BehindBlueI's]

Let me guess…..the folks who have the academic credentials don’t like the pay and conditions, and the folks with street experience who are ok with the conditions don’t have the credentials….


The first is definitely true. I don't know about the second. Either those folks know they don't have the credentials and aren't applying or they don't know to apply (or don't exist), because I'm literal when I say zero applicants.

[TQP]

Let me guess…..the folks who have the academic credentials don’t like the pay and conditions, and the folks with street experience who are ok with the conditions don’t have the credentials….

You have my sympathies. It’ll only work with the right people, and if you can’t find them you’re dead in the water.

For comparison of pay and conditions for dealing with unhappy people. the median salary for an entry-level EMT is $14/hour.

I think the primary cause of the low EMS salaries is that unless you're taking 911 calls, you're transporting mostly Medicare and Medicaid patients on BLS ( the lowest level) of service. In Ohio, Medicare pays $222.65 and Medicaid pays $115 ( both plus a couple bucks per mile) for non-emergency BLS transport. I don't honestly know how private services ( especially the small ones) stay in business.

A transport usually takes me an hour from door to door, I'd expect a non-911 transport to average more like 90 minutes. Sometimes the patient isn't ready, or the paperwork isn't, and a lot of their handoffs will take longer than me handing someone off in the ED. Plus I'm normally taking someone to the closest appropriate facility. Even if you run them non stop, there's only so much revenue you can make per ambulance.

[peterb]

The first is definitely true. I don't know about the second. Either those folks know they don't have the credentials and aren't applying or they don't know to apply (or don't exist), because I'm literal when I say zero applicants.

What are the posted requirements for the position(s)?

[BehindBlueI's]

What are the posted requirements for the position(s)?

Job Requirements
• Master's degree in Human Services field (LMHC, LMFT, LCSW) license required
• Experience of 3-5 years in an acute mental health setting, working with individuals having persistent severe mental illness
• Experience of providing compassionate care to under-served and vulnerable populations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Knowledge of growth & development milestones over the life span, and ability to provide age-appropriate care
• Cultural competency
• Ability to work independently and within a team setting
• Ability to quickly engage clients in a therapeutic relationship
• Proficiency in the identification & treatment of mental and addiction disorders, within a strength-based framework
• Ability to gather, interpret, and analyze client data
• Knowledge and skills in trauma informed care and motivational interviewing
• Strong interpersonal skills /ability to communicate clearly and concisely in verbal and written communication
• Ability to work collaboratively with clients and their families, and in partnership with treatment team
• Training in the use and side effects of psycho-pharmacology
• Ability to provide case presentations to medical and psychiatric staff
• Knowledge of local resources and how to link clients with services
• Familiarity with models for community policing
• Understand law enforcement culture with its procedures and general orders
• Familiarity with CIT training
• Knowledge of Indiana mental health statutes, especially Immediate Detentions and Emergency Detentions
• Teaching and public speaking abilities
• Sufficient computer literacy to utilize various documentation platforms
• CPR, CPI, and basic first aid
• NIMS training 100 and 200 levels

[RevolverRob]

Let me guess…..the folks who have the academic credentials don’t like the pay and conditions, and the folks with street experience who are ok with the conditions don’t have the credentials….

I mean there-in lies the rub with all of these ideas. They only work if you're going to pay people what they need to be paid. It isn't cheap to get the credentials these days and the need for mental health counselors is at an all time high across the country. Which, I think, is reflective of a good thing because it means less stigma for mental heath care, but demand has outstripped supply.


It’ll only work with the right people, and if you can’t find them you’re dead in the water.

Exactly...pay has to exceed what folks make doing a 9-5 M-F counseling job and you need people with the right mindset. I think you can find the latter, but only when the former is in place.


For comparison of pay and conditions for dealing with unhappy people. the median salary for an entry-level EMT is $14/hour.

That's a tough one too, but some places seem to be taking it more seriously. We have a referendum coming up in the Nov elections here on whether or not to extend property taxes in the county to improve EMT services. There is a lot of back and forth on it. On the one hand, the opponents argue that there exists a fund that is supposed to pay for this and they allege the county commissioners aren't using it correctly. On the other, the county commissioners have demonstrated to some degree that their existing fund doesn't allow them to pay competitive wages and extend services to meet the increased need in the county. There are some good debates going on about this and it seems like the conversations being had may ultimately result in some changes. I suspect the referendum will pass; but I also think the county commissioner who appears most eager to get his hands on some extra cash for pet projects and is hoping to get it out of these funds may lose his seat.

I'll likely vote for the referendum, the property tax extension (it's simply extending current tax rates, which are elevated over the base, for 4 more years) don't seem to be breaking anyone from a financial perspective (there is a very low foreclosure rate here in the area). And there is a need to expand services. If competitive pay can be offered getting better emergency services and especially EMT is worth it to me.

[RevolverRob]

Job Requirements
• Master's degree in Human Services field (LMHC, LMFT, LCSW) license required
• Experience of 3-5 years in an acute mental health setting, working with individuals having persistent severe mental illness
• Experience of providing compassionate care to under-served and vulnerable populations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Knowledge of growth & development milestones over the life span, and ability to provide age-appropriate care
• Cultural competency
• Ability to work independently and within a team setting
• Ability to quickly engage clients in a therapeutic relationship
• Proficiency in the identification & treatment of mental and addiction disorders, within a strength-based framework
• Ability to gather, interpret, and analyze client data
• Knowledge and skills in trauma informed care and motivational interviewing
• Strong interpersonal skills /ability to communicate clearly and concisely in verbal and written communication
• Ability to work collaboratively with clients and their families, and in partnership with treatment team
• Training in the use and side effects of psycho-pharmacology
• Ability to provide case presentations to medical and psychiatric staff
• Knowledge of local resources and how to link clients with services
• Familiarity with models for community policing
• Understand law enforcement culture with its procedures and general orders
• Familiarity with CIT training
• Knowledge of Indiana mental health statutes, especially Immediate Detentions and Emergency Detentions
• Teaching and public speaking abilities
• Sufficient computer literacy to utilize various documentation platforms
• CPR, CPI, and basic first aid
• NIMS training 100 and 200 levels

That's a long list of requirements and experience needed to get in. Anyone with 3-5 years of experience in those fields is going to get $65-85k/year for a 9-5 job. So, you guys are starting at $100k, right? (That's rhetorical, I know the answer).

[Totem Polar]

Job Requirements
• Master's degree in Human Services field (LMHC, LMFT, LCSW) license required
• Experience of 3-5 years in an acute mental health setting, working with individuals having persistent severe mental illness
• Experience of providing compassionate care to under-served and vulnerable populations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Knowledge of growth & development milestones over the life span, and ability to provide age-appropriate care
• Cultural competency
• Ability to work independently and within a team setting
• Ability to quickly engage clients in a therapeutic relationship
• Proficiency in the identification & treatment of mental and addiction disorders, within a strength-based framework
• Ability to gather, interpret, and analyze client data
• Knowledge and skills in trauma informed care and motivational interviewing
• Strong interpersonal skills /ability to communicate clearly and concisely in verbal and written communication
• Ability to work collaboratively with clients and their families, and in partnership with treatment team
• Training in the use and side effects of psycho-pharmacology
• Ability to provide case presentations to medical and psychiatric staff
• Knowledge of local resources and how to link clients with services
• Familiarity with models for community policing
• Understand law enforcement culture with its procedures and general orders
• Familiarity with CIT training
• Knowledge of Indiana mental health statutes, especially Immediate Detentions and Emergency Detentions
• Teaching and public speaking abilities
• Sufficient computer literacy to utilize various documentation platforms
• CPR, CPI, and basic first aid
• NIMS training 100 and 200 levels

The people I know with those sorts of creds all tend towards working 22-28 hours per week, spending tons of time with their kids and driving newer, reliable cars.

It’s not just the peak money potential: who would want to put up with street-level shit, when you can make 75K working 26 client hours a week and have time to be in the running/mug club, the pick-up basketball league, or the vintage bike club, and still be at all your kid’s activities?

I believe the “zero applicants” stat. I really do. /Somethingsarenotproblemstobesolvedbutfactstobelive dwith

[peterb]

That's a long list of requirements and experience needed to get in. Anyone with 3-5 years of experience in those fields is going to get $65-85k/year for a 9-5 job. So, you guys are starting at $100k, right? (That's rhetorical, I know the answer).

As these programs evolve it’ll be interesting to see what qualifications turn out to important and useful. From what I’ve read, some programs are leaning more to the “street smart” side and trying to recruit peer addiction counselors, former homeless, etc. instead of academics. Ideally you’d have both but that’s a tall order.

[RevolverRob]

The people I know with those sorts of creds all tend towards working 22-28 hours per week, spending tons of time with their kids and driving newer, reliable cars.

It’s not just the peak money potential: who would want to put up with street-level shit, when you can make 75K working 26 client hours a week and have time to be in the running/mug club, the pick-up basketball league, or the vintage bike club, and still be at all your kid’s activities?

I believe the “zero applicants” stat. I really do. /Somethingsarenotproblemstobesolvedbutfactstobelive dwith

I'm in the wrong fucking field.

Except I hate dealing with other people's shit. So...maybe not? Except I am, because I'm dealing with other people's academic crap instead...and getting paid less and working more. :confused: :rolleyes:

[NEPAKevin]

Years ago, we watched a Canadian show called "Cracked (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracked_(Canadian_TV_series))" that was about a cop show about a unit specifically tasked with dealing with the mentally challenged which had embedded psychiatrists and the additional twist that the team's leader himself had "issues." I don't see anything on video other than the trailer


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KvBinRfoqM

Not sure if this was just a TV show or if they already to the social worker thing in other countries.

[Joe in PNG]

That's a tough one too, but some places seem to be taking it more seriously. We have a referendum coming up in the Nov elections here on whether or not to extend property taxes in the county to improve EMT services. There is a lot of back and forth on it. On the one hand, the opponents argue that there exists a fund that is supposed to pay for this and they allege the county commissioners aren't using it correctly. On the other, the county commissioners have demonstrated to some degree that their existing fund doesn't allow them to pay competitive wages and extend services to meet the increased need in the county. There are some good debates going on about this and it seems like the conversations being had may ultimately result in some changes. I suspect the referendum will pass; but I also think the county commissioner who appears most eager to get his hands on some extra cash for pet projects and is hoping to get it out of these funds may lose his seat.

I'll likely vote for the referendum, the property tax extension (it's simply extending current tax rates, which are elevated over the base, for 4 more years) don't seem to be breaking anyone from a financial perspective (there is a very low foreclosure rate here in the area). And there is a need to expand services. If competitive pay can be offered getting better emergency services and especially EMT is worth it to me.

It's the age old government problem- cut the actual essential government services (teachers, cops, firefighters) in order to pass more taxes, then use that money for bureaucratic empire building and patronage pork. Rinse, repeat- after all, if you can always get money for an aqueduct, you'll never get a good aqueduct (to paraphrase Hemingway).

[Bolt_Overide]

Is the intent to send these folks out in addition to sworn officers or in leu? Admittedly I have zero idea of what being on the job entails, but both ideas seem to have some serious drawbacks to me. Wouldn't a better idea be hiring more sworn officers with psych backgrounds and spreading them out?

[Yung]

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/lynn-approves-500000-for-unarmed-crisis-response-team-pilot-program/2427204/


Mayor Thomas McGee has been working with the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition for the last year to pursue a series of reforms to address systemic racism and equitable public safety for all
--
Mayor Kim Janey has asked Health and Human Services and the Boston Police Department to design a similar pilot program, with the goal of increasing the role of mental health workers, decreasing the role of police in responding to mental health crises and connecting residents who have a mental illness with resources and treatment.
--
Lynn funded its own team when Mayor Thomas McGee included $500,000 line item for it in his budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which was passed by the City Council on June 22.

Lynn officials are using preliminary research by students from the Northeastern University Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy as a starting point, according to a post from the mayor. The city is commissioning a consultant to work with the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition and other officials to implement the changes in phases.

McGee has been working with the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition for the last year to pursue a series of reforms to address systemic racism and equitable public safety for all. To that end, the coalition reported that they’ve taken a number of actions to achieve that goal:

- Updated the Lynn Police Department's Use of Force Policy, which included the addition of body cameras starting in April.
- Hired the city's first-ever diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
- The $500,000 for an the unarmed crisis response team.
- Considering the establishment of a Civilian Review Board for police.

Officials are considering the civilian review board in response to calls from city leaders to investigate allegations of misconduct by Lynn police, including domestic violence and use of racial slurs.


https://www.itemlive.com/2020/06/29/lynn-police-department-revises-use-of-force-policy/


LYNN POLICE DEPARTMENT REVISES USE OF FORCE POLICY
BY GAYLA CAWLEY| June 29, 2020
--
- Officer’s duty to intervene: should they observe a situation in which they perceive more than the necessary force being deployed by a fellow officer.
- Requiring officers to give a verbal warning before any level of force: provided they have the opportunity to do so. - This was already a standard practice that is now officially in writing.
- Restricting chokeholds: The use of chokeholds or strangleholds is not included in the training of Lynn Police officers due to the risk of serious injury or death. The use of chokeholds is strictly prohibited, unless the use of deadly force is warranted under MPTC guidelines.
- Training officers in de-escalation: This is already included in recruits’ training and in the MPTC use-of-force model in the department’s use-of-force policy. Going forward, officers will receive additional de-escalation training annually, as required by the MPTC.
- Requiring officers to use a use-of-force continuum: starting with nonlethal or less lethal strategies, which is an existing policy.
- Requiring officers to exhaust all reasonable alternatives before using deadly force: This is an existing policy based on the MPTC use of force guidelines.
- Comprehensive reporting of both actual and threatened use of force: All officers are required to complete a use of force report for each instance where any level of force is used.

The joint announcement for the policy revisions comes at a time when the Lynn Police Department has launched an internal investigation following the arrests of three black men on Brightwood Terrace on June 15.
The three men are calling for what they consider unlawful charges to be dropped. They claim they were “unlawfully arrested, assaulted, and falsely charged” by Lynn Police officers who were sent to investigate a noise complaint at one of their homes.
After the investigation began, a Lynn Police officer voluntarily resigned from the force, according to a department statement.
Hundreds of people gathered on the Lynn Common last Friday for a protest centered around the arrests.


https://lynnma.gov/cityhall_documents/departments/personnel/job_postings/diversity_officer_mar_08_2021.shtml

Mayor Thomas McGee Announces Hiring of Faustina Cuevas as the City of Lynn’s First Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer | May 13, 2021
http://www.lynntv.org/blog/mayor-thomas-mcgee-announces-hiring-of-faustina-cuevas-as-the-city-of-lynns-first-diversity-equity-inclusion-officer-may-13-2021/

[Totem Polar]

Christ, some of these mayors and city councils are going to make Greg Ellifritz look like a turbo-charged Nostradamus.

[BehindBlueI's]

Is the intent to send these folks out in addition to sworn officers or in leu? Admittedly I have zero idea of what being on the job entails, but both ideas seem to have some serious drawbacks to me. Wouldn't a better idea be hiring more sworn officers with psych backgrounds and spreading them out?

I've no idea what Boston is doing. We've got a fairly robust program that partners with a hospital and crisis center that teams up a sworn officer (in "soft" attire, polo/khaki sort of thing), a medic, and a clinician as one unit. As stated, we're having issues getting enough clinicians.

The mental health aspect of policing continues to grow. CIT training for uniformed officers was a start, but has been inadequate for the increasing realization that a lot of time police matters are more mental health problems than law enforcement problems. We're trying to put together a program now that offers therapy sessions to domestic battery suspects. The criminal case still moves forward independently, but so many of them fall apart because of victim recants/refusals to cooperate that we're trying to approach it from the other side as well. Addiction issues are huge, of course. The "defund the police" movement is not entirely wrong in their message, they are just incredibly ignorant as to how to actually implement their ideas that are worthwhile...which ultimately require police as well. Of course some just want to watch the world burn and removing the police allows for anarchy. On our side, we've got to get over the 'law enforcement officer' mentality and back to the 'police' mentality. Law enforcement is an important part of what we do, but it's just a part. Both sides need to remember that.

[peterb]

The "defund the police" movement is not entirely wrong in their message, they are just incredibly ignorant as to how to actually implement their ideas that are worthwhile...which ultimately require police as well.

Last fall a group in the area made a “defund the police” proposal to a nearby city. I was impressed at the amount of research they’d done — it was not simply “cops bad”.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W_grwocGp1kh9SwKLI6OeFc3fEz2GOCb/view

The police chief said that he was all in favor of more funding for social services — but not at the expense of his budget. ;-)

I emailed the group who made the proposal and asked what metrics they’d use to show that their plan was succeeding. They said they were still working on that.