Los Angeles police officers may no longer be responding to non-violent and non-emergency calls under a set of new proposals unveiled Wednesday.
The proposals, announced by the department’s union, list more than two dozen types of 911 calls where other city agencies or nonprofit organizations would be sent first.
A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle (Los Angeles Police Department)
These calls range from mental health situations, quality-of-life and homeless issues, problems at schools and welfare checks, to certain non-fatal traffic collisions, parking violations, trash dumping, loud parties, public intoxication and panhandling.
The league said officers would respond only if the situation becomes violent or is criminal in nature, but only after the initial call goes to another agency or an affiliated nonprofit.
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The proposals come in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police in 2020. Floyd’s death ignited calls for reforming police departments nationwide, including how officers handle mental health and other calls that don’t include violence or criminality.
Jerretta Sandoz, right, discusses the Los Angeles Police Protective League’s proposals to stop sending officers to more than two dozen types of 911 calls during a news conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Stefanie Dazio)
Activists have long called for Los Angeles police to stop responding to certain mental health calls, minor traffic collisions and encounters in homeless encampments, pointing to times when officers have fatally shot people during the response.
The Los Angeles proposal comes during the union’s contract negotiations with the city and amid activists’ pleas for reducing or eliminating armed responses to certain situations. The City Council and the mayor’s office will be involved in the final decision about the proposal, the union said.
With decreased staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the union said its proposal would free up officers to respond to more important calls — such as violent crime — and allow cops to engage in more community policing to build better relationships with the city’s residents.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the LAPD for comment.
Zachardy Seidl, a spokesperson for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, said that “taken as a whole, this proposal would compromise public safety,” but we welcome discussion of proposals that would make our neighborhoods safer.”
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“We must increase safety in every neighborhood across Los Angeles, and Mayor Bass is engaging with city departments, community leaders and residents to finalize her strategy to reduce crime, enhance the city’s ability to respond to crises of mental health and homelessness, and improve trust between LAPD and the community,” Seidl said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
