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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,741 posts) Sun Jul 5, 2020, 07:42 PM Jul 2020

Eugene OR replaced some cops with medics and mental health workers. It's worked for over 30 years.

Around 30 years ago, a town in Oregon retrofitted an old van, staffed it with young medics and mental health counselors and sent them out to respond to the kinds of 911 calls that wouldn't necessarily require police intervention.

In the town of 172,000, they were the first responders for mental health crises, homelessness, substance abuse, threats of suicide -- the problems for which there are no easy fixes. The problems that, in the hands of police, have often turned violent.

Today, the program, called CAHOOTS, has three vans, more than double the number of staffers and the attention of a country in crisis.

CAHOOTS is already doing what police reform advocates say is necessary to fundamentally change the US criminal justice system -- pass off some responsibilities to unarmed civilians.

Cities much larger and more diverse than Eugene have asked CAHOOTS staff to help them build their own version of the program. CAHOOTS wouldn't work everywhere, at least not in the form it exists in Eugene.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-town-of-170000-replaced-some-cops-with-medics-and-mental-health-workers-its-worked-for-over-30-years/ar-BB16lO1G?li=BBnb7Kz

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Eugene OR replaced some cops with medics and mental health workers. It's worked for over 30 years. (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jul 2020 OP

CAHOOTS. This is true and i have watched over the years. It works so well. Something I also noticed LizBeth Jul 2020 #1

Acronym central scrutinizer Jul 2020 #2

So successful they have exported the program to other cities. BlueIdaho Jul 2020 #3

LizBeth

(9,952 posts)

1. CAHOOTS. This is true and i have watched over the years. It works so well. Something I also noticed

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Jul 5, 2020, 07:51 PM

Jul 2020

with the police here. They are much more into standing back, listening and deescalating, consistently. Especially with the homeless. They do not have traffic traps to write tickets. In all the years I think I have seen two cars pulled over. People go under the friggin' speed limit too, which can drive me mad cause I like to go zoom zoom zoom. It is a gentler environment.

central scrutinizer

(11,637 posts)

2. Acronym

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Jul 5, 2020, 10:37 PM

Jul 2020

Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets. Operated by Whitebird Clinic. Real heroes in the community. I’ve been making and donating cloth masks for their homeless resource project.

BlueIdaho

(13,582 posts)

3. So successful they have exported the program to other cities.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Sun Jul 5, 2020, 10:59 PM

Jul 2020

We need to learn from these “best practices” communities.

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