According to a Right to Know request filed by the ACLU of Pennsylvania, 89,794 911 calls were made from Allentown last year. The 6th most frequent call was “Check on Welfare” and the 19th most frequent call was “Psych Emergency”. Even diverting a fraction of calls like these to trained mental health professionals could reduce police use of force, violence against people with disabilities, de-escalate situations and prevent unnecessary arrests and involvement in the criminal legal system.
That's why the ACLU of Pennsylvania supports a ballot initiative to implement a crisis response pilot program in Allentown. This program would add another tool to Allentown's public safety toolkit to increase effectiveness and promote the health and safety of community members.
That's why, if you're an Allentown resident, you should plan to vote in favor of the crisis response pilot program this November.
You can read more about the proposed pilot program in news coverage from WFMZ-TV, Lehigh Valley News, and The Morning Call (paywall).
You can also read public testimony from ACLU-PA's Advocacy and Policy Strategist Alex Domingos here.
