The Saratoga Police Department is partnering with Avel eCare to provide officers with 24/7 virtual access to licensed behavioral health professionals via secure tablets. This initiative, supported by a $2.4 million charitable grant, aims to help officers in remote areas quickly determine if individuals need involuntary psychiatric holds or local follow-up care.

Following a year of legislative delays, Cleveland City Council is prepared to vote on a new "care response" model that dispatches mental health clinicians alongside EMS instead of police. Named in honor of Tanisha Anderson, the law would establish a Bureau of Community Crisis Response to handle non-violent mental health emergencies using plain vehicles and unarmed professionals.

Baltimore City Council is advocating for a community-based response system that would deploy trained civilians to manage non-violent, non-criminal 911 calls. Prompted by recent fatal police encounters during behavioral crises, officials are seeking to improve response times and provide clinicians or peer supports who can de-escalate situations without traditional law enforcement intervention.

Co-responder programs often fail when they are treated as temporary "patchwork" projects funded by short-term grants rather than permanent department fixtures. To succeed, agencies must appoint dedicated leadership, select specialized staff, and integrate responders into the department's visual and operational culture to build internal trust. Measuring the right metrics—specifically officer time saved and diversions from jails or hospitals—is essential for proving the program’s financial and operational value. Ultimately, the most effective models prioritize field-based "mental health first response" over office-style clinical work to meet the unpredictable needs of the community.

Iowa City and Johnson County are embarking on a 15-month pilot program to divert non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls to a team of trained, unarmed field mediators. This initiative focuses on resolving interpersonal conflicts—such as neighbor disputes, noise complaints, and loitering—that traditionally default to a police response but do not require law enforcement intervention. By utilizing mediators, the program aims to provide specialized de-escalation that can take more time than a standard patrol call to build relationships and reach sustainable resolutions. The goal is to reduce the burden on local police and EMS while offering a more appropriate, community-based resource for residents in crisis. If successful, the program will eventually integrate these responders directly into the 911 dispatch system by early 2027.