(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Evanston City Council approved a plan earlier this week to hire and train unarmed civilians, instead of police, to respond to some non-violent 911 calls.
The Evanston City Council unanimously approved a plan Monday night to train newly hired community responders in de-escalation techniques and mental health assistance. They will be members of the Parks and Recreation Department - not the police department.
"Our 911 dispatchers will receive extensive training to develop the expertise needed to know whom to send to which call – this is a high-stakes and difficult decision, and this aspect of our system will be modeled after successful programs in other communities," Mayor Daniel Biss wrote in a memo to the community.
Biss also mentioned that people react differently to an armed officer than to an unarmed civilian. He said the responders will respond to ten types of issues, diverting almost 10,000 calls to 911 each year.
The city has allocated $400,000 dollars in this year’s budget for the program that is expected to launch in June.
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