Olympia WA . Hopefully the NEW NORMAL everywhere. Sending mental health pros rather than junior college cops to non-violent mental health situations "This City Stopped Sending Police to Every 911 Call | "
"Because they work closely with the Olympia Police Department and are dispatched through 911, Larsen said the program had to build community trust to prove they were "collaborative but separate" from law enforcement. "One of the biggest things we had to overcome is the idea that we would be snitches," she said. "It's about reassuring folks that we don't run [their names] for warrants or anything like that." Larsen noted that working with police makes it easier to access some services, like getting people identification."
