[ceejayoz]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/denvers-mental-health-a...

> Dispatching mental health specialists instead of police officers to substance abuse and nonviolent emergencies sharply lowered low-level crime in Denver, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Advances.

> The Support Team Assistance Response, or STAR, program, which uses a mental health crisis interventionist and a paramedic to respond to nonviolent 911 calls, showed a 34 percent reduction in crime for offenses such as trespassing and public disorder, according to the study conducted by a Stanford University professor and researcher.

> Of the 748 incidents to which clinicians and paramedics responded, police assistance was never needed, according to the study.