City & Grand Rapids Police Say ‘Not Every Problem Needs an Armed Response’

After urging from city residents and members of the social work community, the City of Grand Rapids has announced a new approach to 911 calls in the city.

Mayor David LaGrand says this approach is often called a "co-response method."

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This new approach is a collaboration between the city, the Grand Rapids Police Department, and Network180.

Social Workers to Accompany Grand Rapids Police on Some Calls

According to a video posted to social media by the city and Mayor LaGrand, some 911 calls that come in will now receive response from not just a police officer, but also a trained social worker.

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In many cases, according to LaGrand, situations that require people to call 911 would benefit immensely from having a social worker on hand, as well. He says that this approach is something that the city plans to "lean into."

He also added that the city plans to invest more in the program in the future.

Community Response to Grand Rapids Police Department and Network180 Partnership

The community response to the new initiative has been largely positive. The comments on social media include comments from people who say that they benefited from an earlier iteration of the program.

Grand Rapids Commissioner for the 3rd Ward Kelsey Perdue replied to Hannah's comment, saying,

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This isn't a new concept - the idea of co-response method was first implemented in Los Angeles back in the early 1990s.