Evanston City Council unanimously approved moving forward with establishing Evanston’s community response program, which is designed to work in tandem with the Evanston Police Department to respond to 911 and other emergency response calls.
The community response program, which is to be housed within the Parks and Recreation Department, will be staffed by responders trained in de-escalation, domestic violence, trauma response, cognitive behavioral therapy, diversity and more, according to city documents.
These responders will take on calls related to panhandling, nuisance complaints, well-being checks, confused persons, leaf blower violations and a few other inquiry types during its first implementation phase.
Those calling 911 will have their inquiry screened to determine if it fits the community response team. If the call fits the team, it will be dispatched to community responders rather than the police. Community responders will resolve these issues unless they encounter issues upon arrival at which time EPD will get involved and resolve the issue, according to the community responder integrated dispatch flowchart.
Police, fire or emergency medical services teams will respond to all calls related to criminal activity, weapons, threats of violence, injuries, medical needs and other life-threatening emergencies.
City Council was provided with a nearly four page memo outlining the proposed program. Since the program is intended to be a first response program to some 911 calls, Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma expressed disappointment in the lackluster presentation saying more needs to be done to share progress with not only the City Council but the community.
“This has been a long time coming and a lot of work has gone into this…but I have to admit it seems anticlimactic at this point,” Nieuwsma said. “Given the scope of change we’re talking about — that goes back in public discourse more than any of us have been on council — there should be more of a launch.”
The City Council as a whole was supportive of the program and excited to move forward. Councilmember Krissie Harris applauded city staff for their outreach in getting the initiative started and is excited to create a program to make calling 911 a more comfortable option for all Evanstonians, particularly the city’s Black and Brown communities.
“Since George Floyd we understand that people are very afraid of the police but that was in Minnesota, not here” Harris said. “I think working together will help and the community will see that…we want people in Black and Brown communities to understand and know the key players.”
The Law Enforcement Action Partnership worked with the city in determining its path toward creating the program. One of its key points was that creating the program will increase 911 calls in general, not just those intended for community response.
“We estimate that for every 100 calls the 911 call center diverts from the police to send to (community response), the center receives at least another 32 calls that would not come in if (community response) did not exist,” the Law Enforcement Action Partnership wrote in its Evanston report.
The 2024 city budget included $400,000 to start the program, according to a city memo. This money will go toward hiring staff and the project’s first phase. Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson said hiring staff and bringing on an official manager to help spearhead the program is needed before bringing forth a more comprehensive presentation.
Four community responders will be hired alongside two other cross-trained responders with a focus on community outreach. This will be one operating car unit, according to the city memo prepared by Thompson. The community response unit will operate seven days a week from 1 to 10 p.m. with cross trained officers assisting from 6 to 10 p.m.
Interim Corporation Counsel Alexandra Ruggie said City Council will likely have to vote on an ordinance when an official plan is implemented.
Despite some City Council members saying the presentation lacked substance, Mayor Daniel Biss released a statement applauding the program. He says it was part of his promise to provide a reimagined public safety lens in Evanston.
“This is a significant milestone in a process that has been underway for years,” Biss said. “My first act as mayor was to create our Reimagining Public Safety Committee, one of whose key animating principles is that we call on our police officers to do impossibly many different things – and that the best way to provide for public safety is to ensure that whenever a problem occurs in our community, we should send the right person with the right training to solve it.”
Evanston’s Reimagining Public Safety Committee was implemented in spring 2021, the city memo states, shortly after Biss was sworn in as mayor that May.
The EPD has expressed support for the program and has promised to work in collaboration with the Parks and Recreation Department rather than in competition.
Thompson said she hopes the community response program will begin this June before summer. She also said more extensive presentations and community outreach will be provided at a later date.
Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
