In less than a week, Ohio voters will head to the polls for the primary election.
In Columbus, they’ll be asked whether they want to create an alternative crisis response team of clinicians, social workers and EMTs to respond to non-violent emergencies instead of police or firefighters.
Brian Krummen, of Clintonville, gave his approval to the proposed charter amendment, on the ballot as Issue 5, when he voted early at the Franklin County Board of Elections on Morse Road.
Krummen said that in college, he had a friend who was a firefighter/EMT who often told stories about going to mental health emergencies that had nothing to do with fire or rescue.
"He just talked about how difficult it was for them to deal with it since it wasn't something necessary that they have a ton of background in or training in and if there was a dedicated sort of group that could focus on those types of calls seems like it'd be a benefit," Krummen said.
That’s the basic idea behind an alternative crisis response team: not every emergency requires a police officer or a firefighter.
"When your grandmother who has dementia is having a dispute with her grandson, maybe you don't need an armed police officer. Maybe you need a clinician that knows how to do that de-escalation work," said Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin.
"At the end of the day, what it's about is making sure that when folks are in crises, they have the appropriate response when they need it."- Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin
The Community Crisis Response Amendment expands response options for 911 calls for behavioral health, homelessness and substance use — among other things — and establishes a formal city division and an advisory board to oversee crisis response.
Hardin said Columbus already puts around $6 to $7 million toward alternative crisis response programs. Those include having a social worker from Columbus Public Health in the 911 call center, and the city’s Mobile Crisis Response Unit that pairs health clinicians with police officers and refers those in need to follow-up services.
The Community Crisis Response Amendment would bring those programs together under one department and lay the groundwork to further expand them. Hardin expects funding to increase as programs grow.
Hardin said putting the issue to voters also ensures that a response team is codified, meaning it will be required by law, "regardless of who's sitting in the mayor's office or who's sitting in these different council seats."
Tuesday’s vote is a long time coming. The city and the group of organizations and community members spearheading the effort — the Columbus Safety Collective — have been working for about six years to expand the ways crises are handled.
The amendment as written has little to no opposition, though Brian Steel, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City No. 9, initially had his reservations.
"My first thought was, you know, is this going to be just another attempt to defund the police?” Steel said.
Steel sat down with the Issue 5 campaign and other union and city leaders and found common ground.
"What we want the most is individuals who are in a mental health crisis, we want them to get the help they need," Steel said. "We understand that as community expectation changes on how we handle these runs, law enforcement has to change too. And the end result and the issue is something the FOP is perfectly fine with and is supporting.”
Chana Wiley, co-chair of Columbus Safety Collective campaign, said her group made it clear that they weren't looking to step on anyone's toes.
“We will not interfere with bargaining agreements. We will not take jobs away. We do not want to defund any system. We wanna complement existing services and streamline those services," Wiley said.
"The Columbus Safety Collaborative — they were thoughtful. They were inclusive. They went and talked to just about every single stakeholder that it would take to have unanimous support for an initiative like this," Hardin said.
"By sending those trained responders with lived experiences, we can ensure people get the help that they need. Issue 5 will also improve outcomes for people in crisis by providing the appropriate community response."- Chana Wiley, co-chair of Columbus Safety Collective campaign
Wiley calls the proposed alternative response team "more compassionate care and response."
She said that the team would only go on calls that do not involve weapons or the intent to harm anyone.
She said bystanders could be comfortable calling for help without feeling like they’ll victimize someone who is in distress but not committing a crime.
“You can get the help you need, just in a calmer manner," Wiley said. "You know, sometimes the presence of an officer sometimes will escalate even if they haven't done anything but try to help a person.”
If the issue passes, Wiley said that Columbus will get an alternative crisis division up and running by 2028, with 24/7 service expected by 2030.
Wiley is optimistic that voters will give their support to the effort.
“Obviously, it can go either way, but I just feel so good. I feel like it's gonna pass," she said.
Early in-person voting continues through Sunday at the Franklin County Board of Elections. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
