Beyond 911: A Fundamental Shift in Public Safety and Crisis Response

Introduction: The Fault Lines in Our Emergency Response System

At the heart of our public safety crisis is a fundamental mismatch: we have assigned law enforcement to handle nearly every societal emergency, whether it involves violence, mental illness, homelessness, addiction, or even, as Josie Duffy Rice’s story illustrates, a hawk in someone’s living room. This over-reliance on police has created an enforcement-first response to issues that require care, community support, and long-term intervention.

We must ask: What if the default response to crises was care instead of control?

The question is not whether society needs emergency responders but whether the right people are responding to the right problems. To fully grasp what must change, we must first understand the historical role of policing, the systemic failures embedded in 911-based emergency response, and the structural investments needed to build a better system.

1. The Historical Roots of the Problem: Why Policing Became the Default Response to Everything

To understand why the U.S. relies so heavily on police, we need to examine how policing evolved:

A. The Origins of American Policing and Social Control

Policing in the U.S. was never originally designed as a system for public safety in the way we might think today.
Early police forces in the South originated as slave patrols, designed to control and capture enslaved Black people who escaped bondage.
In the North, police forces grew out of a desire to control the working class, particularly immigrants and labor organizers, rather than protect the public.

From the beginning, policing was about social order and control—not about responding to crises with care. This legacy of policing as enforcement rather than service still defines its role today.

B. The Expansion of Policing into Social Services

Over time, as mental health institutions closed (due to deinstitutionalization in the 1960s–1980s), police became the default first responders for mental health crises.
As social safety nets eroded, homelessness and addiction surged, leading cities to criminalize poverty rather than address its root causes.
The 911 system reinforced this trend: it became the single number to call for any and all emergencies, even when police were not the appropriate responders.

C. The War on Drugs and the Militarization of Police

The War on Drugs in the 1980s and 1990s further expanded policing’s role, turning substance use into a criminal issue rather than a public health crisis.
Federal policies provided police departments with military-grade weapons and tactics, intensifying the use of force, particularly in communities of color.

All of this set the stage for where we are today: police officers as the default response to every crisis, whether or not law enforcement is the best tool for the job.

2. The Limits of 911: How an Emergency System Fails the Public

A. The Misuse of Police in Non-Violent Situations

The core problem with 911 is that it sends police officers into situations that require care-based responses:

Mental Health Crises: 1 in 4 fatal police shootings involves someone with a mental illness.
Wellness Checks: Cases like Atatiana Jefferson’s show how routine welfare checks can turn deadly.
Addiction and Overdose Calls: Rather than sending medical professionals, many cities still deploy police, often leading to arrests instead of lifesaving care.

B. The Perverse Incentives in the System

Policing is reactive, not preventative—it responds after harm has occurred rather than addressing root causes.
Cities fund police departments at exponentially higher levels than social services, creating a system where arrests are the primary response to social issues.
The political establishment often fears appearing “soft on crime”, leading to cycles of over-policing instead of investment in alternatives.

C. The Reliability of 911 vs. The Absence of Alternative Resources

One reason people call 911 is simple: it works—someone always answers.
But what happens when someone needs mental health support, a social worker, or addiction treatment?
- Most cities lack an easy, accessible non-police crisis response system.
- Even when alternatives exist, they are underfunded, unavailable 24/7, or poorly integrated into emergency dispatch systems.
As a result, people call 911 for lack of any other viable option—reinforcing police as the default responders.

If we want a different system, we need a crisis response alternative that is just as immediate, available, and trusted as 911.

3. The Path Forward: Rebuilding Public Safety Around Care, Not Criminalization

A. Lessons from Atlanta’s PAD Model: An Alternative That Works

The Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) in Atlanta is a proof of concept:

Instead of police, PAD deploys trained professionals—social workers, case managers, and harm reduction specialists—to handle non-violent crises.
PAD teams arrive with resources—food, medical care, housing support—rather than weapons and handcuffs.
Over time, PAD builds relationships with individuals in crisis, helping them transition into long-term stability rather than cycling through jail and homelessness.

B. Making Crisis Response as Reliable as 911

If alternatives like PAD are to succeed on a national scale, they must be:

Fully funded and staffed, ensuring round-the-clock availability.
Integrated into emergency dispatch systems, so that when someone calls for a mental health crisis, dispatch can send a social worker, not a cop.
Legally empowered—meaning states must codify crisis response teams into law as an essential part of public safety.

C. Shifting Resources: Where Should the Money Go?

Rebuilding public safety requires reallocation, not just reform:

Reduce police responsibilities by shifting non-violent crisis response to trained professionals.
Reallocate funds from bloated police budgets to housing, healthcare, and harm reduction services.
Expand mental health and addiction treatment services so they are as widely available as emergency rooms.

If cities can afford multi-million-dollar increases in police budgets, they can afford to invest in real public safety solutions that prevent crime before it happens.

4. Overcoming Barriers to Change

A. Institutional Resistance

Police unions and conservative politicians often oppose crisis response programs, fearing a loss of funding and influence.
Some departments resist relinquishing control, even when alternative models are proven to work.

B. Public Perception and Trust

Many people hesitate to trust new crisis response models, fearing they won’t be as reliable as 911.
Public education campaigns are essential to shift attitudes and make alternatives the go-to choice for non-violent crises.

C. Policy and Legal Hurdles

Cities and states must formalize crisis response programs in law, preventing future administrations from defunding them.
Federal and state governments must incentivize crisis response expansion with dedicated funding streams.

Conclusion: A New Vision for Public Safety

The solution is clear: we must move away from a system where policing is the default response to every crisis.

To do this, we must:

Fund and expand alternative crisis response teams so they are as available as 911.
Shift resources away from over-policing and into mental health care, housing, and harm reduction.
Change public expectations so that people know real help—not law enforcement—will arrive when they call for assistance.

The future of public safety is not about police reform alone. It’s about a fundamental shift: from enforcement to care, from criminalization to compassion, from reaction to prevention.

If we build it, if we fund it, if we demand it—we can create a system where safety truly means protection for all.