Seattle’s mayor hopes to diversify response options to calls for help with the city’s new public safety department.
On Thursday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the launch of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department, known as CARE. Sometimes when people call 911, their incident may not be as urgent as other 911 calls. From a welfare check to a car prowl or theft with no suspect information—Chief Adrian Diaz said those were examples of Priority Three and Priority Four level calls.
"You have a person down call—where the person is not committing a crime, could be highly intoxicated, might end up needing medical assistance, might need other resources or services. We end up having to go to it, but it’s sometimes calls that could actually be better handled by somebody else," said Diaz.