Hennepin County social workers and North Memorial Health paramedics are now responding to mental health calls in the community instead of or alongside police officers. The Alternative Response Team project has been praised by police for its positive outcomes, with Inspector Elliot Faust stating that getting the program up and running has been a significant effort. The data collected so far indicates that the program is making a real impact, with a decrease in mental health calls received by the police department for the first time in years.
The partnership between healthcare and law enforcement officials was initially set to end on December 31, 2024, but the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners recently extended the timeline through the end of 2026. Faust expressed enthusiasm about the extension and highlighted the decrease in mental health calls received by the police department for the first time in years. After a steady increase in mental health calls over the past five years, there was a drop from 1,291 calls in 2022 to 1,096 calls in 2023. Faust acknowledged that it is too early to establish a direct causal link, but there is definitely a correlation between the work of the Alternative Response Team and the decline in calls.
Looking ahead, Faust hopes to expand the unit’s operating hours beyond regular business hours to accommodate high demand for their services. He emphasized that despite their busy schedule, there is still more work to be done with this initiative.