In Buffalo, over 80% of 911 calls sent to police are not about crime. Each year, tens of thousands of calls related to welfare checks, homelessness, minor disputes, drug use, and other social disturbances or quality-of-life issues are dispatched to police, who lack the training, skills, and time to meet the underlying health and social needs that generated the call. Using police as the default responder to every community need contributes to skyrocketing police overtime, especially in an era where new police recruits are scarce.

Police should be reserved for responding to crime, and alternative responders should be utilized for all nonviolent, noncriminal concerns. Sending police to every community need is dangerous, inefficient, and costly, and cities have successfully begun an alternative approach: Community Safety Departments (CSDs).