In the future, it is expected that unarmed responders, not police officers, will respond to reports of parked cars blocking driveways, littering, and homelessness-related incidents.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) released a list of 28 call types that will be handled by unarmed responders or service providers instead of armed officers.
Non-criminal or non-violent homeless-related calls, quality-of-life calls, and non-violent mental health-related calls will be handled by unarmed responders. The same is true for non-violent incidents at schools.
In cases where emergency police response or mandatory reporting is not required, unarmed responders will be dispatched to schools.
They will also be handling calls from parents reporting non-violent disturbances caused by teenagers or children who refuse to go to school, as well as minor traffic accidents.
This is not the end. They will also handle incidents such as disputes between tenants and landlords, violations of restraining orders, non-violent incidents in parks, non-DUI and non-criminal car accidents with property damage only, and cases where individuals refuse to show ID at the scene of an accident.
Cases like reports of parking violations, blocked driveways, abandoned cars, homeless encampment cleanups, syringe disposals, panhandling, and illegal gambling and vending, will also be in charge of unarmed responders.
LAPPL worked with the city of Los Angeles to compile this list. If an armed response is necessary after unarmed responders have been deployed, LAPPL will work with city officials and the police department to develop protocols.
LAPPL officials hope that dividing responsibilities with unarmed responders will increase efficiency and reduce chronic understaffing caused by armed officers responding to non-emergency calls. They also hope to alleviate community concerns about armed officers.
LAPPL Vice President Jeretta Sandoz emphasized that “now is the time to implement alternative models that remove police response from the equation” and that “we are ready for quick conversations to take immediate action…”
Meanwhile, the proposal to establish a “Disarmament Response and Safety Office” responsible for the unarmed response team on the first day and to support it with $1 million was scheduled to be voted on by the LA City Council, but it has been delayed for two weeks. The exact operating period for the unarmed response team is currently unknown.
BY JANG SU-AH [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
