• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
        Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
        “The good guys won …”
        “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for...
        Atlanta police officer and fire rescue captain save trapped driver...
    • Labor
      • “A financial tsunami”
        LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
        Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
        We quit!
        California police departments offer lucrative signing bonuses to...
    • Tech
      • The rise of I2P
        Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
        Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
        AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
        Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
    • Training
      • CIT training is not for everyone
        Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
        Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
        Firearm instructors: Just be better!
        Influencing your performance on and off duty
    • Policy
      • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
        Diversity in law enforcement
        Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
        Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Idaho police K-9’s paw...
        See you later, Seattle
    • Health/Wellness
      • Working through grief
        Responding to trauma
        “Why does that call keep haunting me?”
        A Message to Those Considering Suicide
        The meaning of pain
    • Community
      • “Live every day like it’s your last”
        National Night Out 2023
        Colorado Springs residents meet with city officials to discuss...
        Seattle police recruits build community relationships in unique...
        Dream come true: Massachusetts 5-year-old becomes honorary junior...
    • Offbeat
      • Alligator on the loose in New Jersey captured after two-week chase
        Traffic stop by TV’s Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son leads to...
        Bone-chilling: Human skull found in donation box at Arizona Goodwill...
        CATastrophe avoided: Indiana troopers rescue kitten trapped under...
        Shopper dressed as a cowboy and armed with fake gun causes scare at...
    • We Remember
      • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
        Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
        Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
        “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
        Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • On the Job
    • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning...
      Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to...
      “The good guys won …”
      “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for...
      Atlanta police officer and fire rescue captain save trapped driver...
  • Labor
    • “A financial tsunami”
      LAPD officers receive raises, bonuses
      Minnesota police force faces disbandment as chief resigns amid salary...
      We quit!
      California police departments offer lucrative signing bonuses to...
  • Tech
    • The rise of I2P
      Ann Arbor Police Department adopts AI technology to analyze body...
      Ohio law enforcement adopts powerful ballistics technology to combat...
      AI-powered surveillance program raises concerns over privacy rights...
      Chesterfield County announces real-time crime center to enhance...
  • Training
    • CIT training is not for everyone
      Mentoring: Leave ’em better than you found ’em
      Ohio struggles to secure permanent funding for law enforcement...
      Firearm instructors: Just be better!
      Influencing your performance on and off duty
  • Policy
    • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over...
      Diversity in law enforcement
      Florida attorney general and John Walsh partner in new Crime Stoppers...
      Supreme Court to weigh in on whether Idaho police K-9’s paw...
      See you later, Seattle
  • Health/Wellness
    • Working through grief
      Responding to trauma
      “Why does that call keep haunting me?”
      A Message to Those Considering Suicide
      The meaning of pain
  • Community
    • “Live every day like it’s your last”
      National Night Out 2023
      Colorado Springs residents meet with city officials to discuss...
      Seattle police recruits build community relationships in unique...
      Dream come true: Massachusetts 5-year-old becomes honorary junior...
  • Offbeat
    • Alligator on the loose in New Jersey captured after two-week chase
      Traffic stop by TV’s Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son leads to...
      Bone-chilling: Human skull found in donation box at Arizona Goodwill...
      CATastrophe avoided: Indiana troopers rescue kitten trapped under...
      Shopper dressed as a cowboy and armed with fake gun causes scare at...
  • We Remember
    • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his...
      Memorial for the fallen: The sacrifice continues
      Paying Tribute to the Fallen Heroes of 9/11
      “He was like a protector …”: Genesee County sheriff’s deputy...
      Deadly police pursuit claims life of 19-year-old Vermont police...
  • Between the Lines
    • Debunking the perpetual narrative of racial bias in policing
      The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

On the Job

Columbus study finds community favor in limiting police’s role in non-violent emergencies

APB Team Published March 28, 2021 @ 3:00 pm PDT

iStock.com/pawel.gaul

A study commissioned by the City of Columbus found that a majority of participants believe that non-violent calls can be dealt with by social workers or mental health professionals rather than police.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the results were presented during a virtual town hall held by the Columbus City Council called “Reimagining Public Safety.” The results found that a majority of participants favored investing in community resources and health services that would “alleviate” the burden for Columbus police responding to emergencies.

The study, conducted by Columbus PR firm The Saunders PR Group, aimed to gather public opinion on law enforcement and public safety. It consisted of data from a series of virtual town halls, focus groups and a survey of 4,000 respondents.

Gayle Saunders, founder and CEO of the Saunders PR Group and former deputy director of the city’s Department of Public Safety, claimed that the study results did not show that there was an “anti-policing” message, but rather that there was an opportunity to provide aid and “relief” to law enforcement.

The survey results found that 52% of respondents believe that wellness checks and missing person reports can be handled by both police officers and trained crisis professionals. In addition, 65% said that mental health crises and non-weapon suicide threats did not require a police response at all, and 73% had the same opinion about crises involving homeless people.

The study comes as the Columbus City Council was considering the idea of diverting some 911 calls to mental health experts or crisis mediators.

The study also found that a majority supported greater investment in social and health care services, such access to public housing and healthcare, and violence-prevention programs.

The money would likely come out of the police budget, as more Columbus residents are advocating that police spending go to social programs following last summer’s racial injustice protests helmed by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The City Council president, Shannon Hardin, also hinted at possible police defunding when advocating for using the city’s budget to stop new officer recruiting until an audit of past public safety hiring practices was completed.

Hardin’s goal, according to the Columbus Dispatch, was to divert $2.5 million dollars for police recruiting to contribute to the $10 million set aside for the “Reimagining Public Safety Fund.”

However, Hardin failed to receive six supermajority votes required for the budget amendment. The City Council will now look for another means to fund their program that plans to tackle anti-violence programs, mandating medical training for officers to be used on use-of-force victims, and developing a youth workforce plan.

Hardin praised the Saunders study calling it a “blueprint” for city leaders and the community. He said, “We want you to be part of the process, we need to hear from you. This is our opportunity; this is our chance to move our city forward.”

Categories: On the Job

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • New Texas law gives local law enforcement greater control over dispatching AMBER Alerts
  • Headstone finally marks grave of Pennsylvania officer who gave his life during historic 1889 flood
  • Working through grief
  • Heroic Pennsylvania officer saves father and daughter from drowning in sinking truck
  • Denver law enforcement struggle to divert low-level offenders to resource center
  • CIT training is not for everyone
  • “A financial tsunami”
  • “The good guys won …”
  • Responding to trauma
  • “Service was running through his veins”: Condolences pour in for fallen Los Angeles deputy

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.