1
00:00:02,870 --> 00:00:04,705
-Do you have the description
of the vehicle,

2
00:00:04,705 --> 00:00:06,173
like what color,
make, and model?

3
00:00:06,173 --> 00:00:08,909
-Public safety is
in the spotlight in Seattle,

4
00:00:08,909 --> 00:00:11,111
facing a record number
of homicides

5
00:00:11,111 --> 00:00:14,781
and an opioid epidemic all too
visible on the city's streets.

6
00:00:14,781 --> 00:00:18,652
-This is the worst drug crisis
I've ever seen in my life.

7
00:00:18,652 --> 00:00:22,890
-But reports show nearly four
out of five 911 calls in Seattle

8
00:00:22,890 --> 00:00:25,058
are for nonemergency
incidents.

9
00:00:25,058 --> 00:00:26,560
-Often we don't need
a gun and badge.

10
00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,862
We need people trained
and skilled

11
00:00:28,862 --> 00:00:30,497
at the kind of outreach
and kind of treatment

12
00:00:30,497 --> 00:00:31,565
that we want to see.

13
00:00:31,565 --> 00:00:33,700
-Will a new
dual-dispatch program

14
00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:35,169
get help to those who need it,

15
00:00:35,169 --> 00:00:39,339
and free up police to focus
on more serious calls?

16
00:00:39,339 --> 00:00:41,141
And what lessons
can be learned

17
00:00:41,141 --> 00:00:43,610
from a similar program
from Seattle Fire?

18
00:00:43,610 --> 00:00:46,313
-We can't just take everyone
to the emergency room.

19
00:00:46,313 --> 00:00:47,781
-Our panel weighs in.

20
00:00:47,781 --> 00:00:50,217
-Our average response time
right now is five minutes.

21
00:00:50,217 --> 00:00:52,553
-We find ourselves policing
a lot of social issues.

22
00:00:52,553 --> 00:00:55,455
-How is Seattle's approach
to public safety changing?

23
00:00:55,455 --> 00:00:58,358
Some answers next
on "City Inside/Out."

24
00:00:58,358 --> 00:01:06,667
♪♪

25
00:01:06,667 --> 00:01:15,742
♪♪

26
00:01:15,742 --> 00:01:18,879
And joining me to discuss
these issues of public safety

27
00:01:18,879 --> 00:01:20,414
and community well-being,

28
00:01:20,414 --> 00:01:23,317
I have the chiefs of Seattle's
three public safety departments,

29
00:01:23,317 --> 00:01:24,518
including Amy Smith,

30
00:01:24,518 --> 00:01:26,687
acting chief
of the new CARE department.

31
00:01:26,687 --> 00:01:29,489
That's Community Assisted
Response and Engagement,

32
00:01:29,489 --> 00:01:31,458
known as the third
public safety department.

33
00:01:31,458 --> 00:01:33,026
But your number one
right here, Amy.

34
00:01:33,026 --> 00:01:34,127
Thank you very much
for being here.

35
00:01:34,127 --> 00:01:35,095
-Yeah. Happy to be here.

36
00:01:35,095 --> 00:01:36,396
-And also, we have with us

37
00:01:36,396 --> 00:01:38,866
Chief Harold Scoggins
of the Seattle Fire Department.

38
00:01:38,866 --> 00:01:41,268
Chief Scoggins,
good to see you too.
-Good to see you.

39
00:01:41,268 --> 00:01:43,170
-And also with us,
we have Adrian Diaz,

40
00:01:43,170 --> 00:01:45,172
the chief, of course, of the
Seattle Police Department.

41
00:01:45,172 --> 00:01:46,440
Chief Diaz,
great to have you here.

42
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:47,541
-Glad to be here.

43
00:01:47,541 --> 00:01:48,675
-All right, let's jump into it.

44
00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:50,644
And I think a lot of Seattleites
know these guys,

45
00:01:50,644 --> 00:01:52,279
but they might not know you
as well.

46
00:01:52,279 --> 00:01:54,081
So I want to break this down
with you, Chief Smith,
if I could.

47
00:01:54,081 --> 00:01:56,650
Can you describe what CARE is?

48
00:01:56,650 --> 00:02:00,220
And I'd really like to focus on
the dual-dispatch pilot program

49
00:02:00,220 --> 00:02:01,989
that you launched
at the end of October,

50
00:02:01,989 --> 00:02:03,390
and how that's changing the way

51
00:02:03,390 --> 00:02:05,425
the city responds
to emergency calls.

52
00:02:05,425 --> 00:02:08,028
-Yes,
so CARE has been organized

53
00:02:08,028 --> 00:02:10,330
as the third
public safety department.

54
00:02:10,330 --> 00:02:11,632
The genesis of the concept

55
00:02:11,632 --> 00:02:14,201
is really just anchored
in 911 data.

56
00:02:14,201 --> 00:02:16,970
If you look at all the calls
that come in to 911,

57
00:02:16,970 --> 00:02:19,273
how many do not require
or involve fire

58
00:02:19,273 --> 00:02:23,277
or medical transport or police,
some kind of enforcement.

59
00:02:23,277 --> 00:02:24,511
And this is a national trend.

60
00:02:24,511 --> 00:02:25,779
If you look at the calls,

61
00:02:25,779 --> 00:02:29,283
about half don't necessarily
require either team.

62
00:02:29,283 --> 00:02:32,352
And I think as we've become
culturally more sophisticated,

63
00:02:32,352 --> 00:02:33,720
understanding behavioral health,

64
00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,989
understanding
mental-health crisis,

65
00:02:35,989 --> 00:02:38,792
how to be really
culturally sensitive

66
00:02:38,792 --> 00:02:40,227
and responsive
to groups,

67
00:02:40,227 --> 00:02:42,996
you realize lots of different
types of professionals

68
00:02:42,996 --> 00:02:45,766
might be best suited
to certain call types.

69
00:02:45,766 --> 00:02:47,067
And so you really
need to organize

70
00:02:47,067 --> 00:02:48,802
not just a little pilot
or another,

71
00:02:48,802 --> 00:02:50,938
you know, sub team
and a department,

72
00:02:50,938 --> 00:02:52,706
but actually just set up
a new department.

73
00:02:52,706 --> 00:02:54,708
And so that's what
Seattle has done.

74
00:02:54,708 --> 00:02:56,210
This has happened
in some other cities,

75
00:02:56,210 --> 00:02:58,879
but what Seattle is doing
I think is the most significant

76
00:02:58,879 --> 00:03:00,614
because we also,
in this department,

77
00:03:00,614 --> 00:03:01,949
we house Seattle 911.

78
00:03:01,949 --> 00:03:03,884
So that's kind of
like the data hub.
-Right.

79
00:03:03,884 --> 00:03:06,286
-And then we'll have
diversified response teams.

80
00:03:06,286 --> 00:03:09,156
And that's what the first CARE
crisis responder team is.

81
00:03:09,156 --> 00:03:12,893
And then we will also house
an Office of Violence Prevention

82
00:03:12,893 --> 00:03:14,328
where we're
really thinking about

83
00:03:14,328 --> 00:03:16,230
early intervention
and prevention strategies

84
00:03:16,230 --> 00:03:18,398
that don't need to sit
in the police department.

85
00:03:18,398 --> 00:03:19,900
-Okay. Thank you
for breaking that down.

86
00:03:19,900 --> 00:03:22,002
And we'll get into the nuts and
bolts of it in just a minute.

87
00:03:22,002 --> 00:03:25,472
But, Chief Diaz, maybe I can go
to this question next and expand

88
00:03:25,472 --> 00:03:27,174
on what Chief Smith was saying,

89
00:03:27,174 --> 00:03:29,676
just why the response
to emergencies is changing.

90
00:03:29,676 --> 00:03:33,013
Because the SPD asked
the National Institute
for Criminal Justice Reform

91
00:03:33,013 --> 00:03:34,982
to study its 911 calls.

92
00:03:34,982 --> 00:03:37,618
You found out last year
nearly 80% of those calls

93
00:03:37,618 --> 00:03:39,019
were for nonemergency
incidents.

94
00:03:39,019 --> 00:03:40,554
So I think the idea is,

95
00:03:40,554 --> 00:03:43,190
if CARE is in place to work
on these lower acuity calls --

96
00:03:43,190 --> 00:03:44,758
like they're called,
the person down --

97
00:03:44,758 --> 00:03:47,494
that frees up officers, which I
know are in short supply here,

98
00:03:47,494 --> 00:03:50,998
to respond to more serious
kind of criminal calls, right?

99
00:03:50,998 --> 00:03:52,599
-Well, that's actually
the significant trend.

100
00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:54,501
You know, we know that many
of our police departments

101
00:03:54,501 --> 00:03:57,504
are actually getting smaller
just because of people

102
00:03:57,504 --> 00:03:59,106
leaving major cities

103
00:03:59,106 --> 00:04:01,675
and other departments
throughout the country.

104
00:04:01,675 --> 00:04:04,778
So we've actually had
to really be able to assess,

105
00:04:04,778 --> 00:04:05,979
like, what are our calls
for service,

106
00:04:05,979 --> 00:04:08,982
what are we really focused
on responding to?

107
00:04:08,982 --> 00:04:12,619
And we find there's a lot of
calls that are just not made for

108
00:04:12,619 --> 00:04:15,389
or not designed for the
police officer to respond to.

109
00:04:15,389 --> 00:04:17,157
And so that is the reason
why it's so crucial

110
00:04:17,157 --> 00:04:19,259
to have other partners
at the table

111
00:04:19,259 --> 00:04:21,461
to be able to take on
some of that workload.

112
00:04:21,461 --> 00:04:23,230
You know, we've we've actually,
you know,

113
00:04:23,230 --> 00:04:25,199
prided ourselves
over the last, you know,

114
00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:26,834
27 years
that I've been on the job,

115
00:04:26,834 --> 00:04:30,504
but even before this, um,
we've built up programs.

116
00:04:30,504 --> 00:04:32,840
We've, you know,
had community service officers,

117
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:35,542
you know, we've had
mental-health responders

118
00:04:35,542 --> 00:04:37,578
that respond
with officers.

119
00:04:37,578 --> 00:04:39,446
But really, you know,
some of this work

120
00:04:39,446 --> 00:04:42,015
is not really designed
for policing.

121
00:04:42,015 --> 00:04:44,785
You know, we find ourselves
policing a lot of social issues.

122
00:04:44,785 --> 00:04:47,421
And that's not
where police should be.

123
00:04:47,421 --> 00:04:48,956
You know, we want
to focus on the crime.

124
00:04:48,956 --> 00:04:51,225
And now, we know
that there's impacts

125
00:04:51,225 --> 00:04:53,227
from the social issues
that do create,

126
00:04:53,227 --> 00:04:56,563
you know, crime, but allowing us
to just focus on the crime,

127
00:04:56,563 --> 00:04:58,732
and I think
what happens is over,

128
00:04:58,732 --> 00:05:00,701
you know, over the course
of my career,

129
00:05:00,701 --> 00:05:02,102
a lot of police
departments said,

130
00:05:02,102 --> 00:05:05,439
"Well, no one's taken on
that work, so we need to do it."

131
00:05:05,439 --> 00:05:07,875
And honestly, I think now
we're starting to realize

132
00:05:07,875 --> 00:05:10,077
we just don't have the staffing
to be able to do that.

133
00:05:10,077 --> 00:05:11,812
And we honestly don't have
the skill sets

134
00:05:11,812 --> 00:05:14,081
to be able to do that, too.

135
00:05:14,081 --> 00:05:15,616
I'd rather have
mental-health professionals

136
00:05:15,616 --> 00:05:17,384
work with people in crisis.

137
00:05:17,384 --> 00:05:20,287
That doesn't mean that
we can't be a component of it,

138
00:05:20,287 --> 00:05:22,689
but I really wanted
to actually say

139
00:05:22,689 --> 00:05:25,993
let let the professionals
that go through schools training

140
00:05:25,993 --> 00:05:29,329
and all those other things
for years on end do that work.

141
00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:30,731
-Okay.
Thank you very much.

142
00:05:30,731 --> 00:05:32,332
And Chief Scoggins, I wanted
to talk to you about this

143
00:05:32,332 --> 00:05:33,967
because the Seattle
Fire Department

144
00:05:33,967 --> 00:05:36,637
has been doing very similar work
to this with Health One.

145
00:05:36,637 --> 00:05:39,239
SFD's Mobile Integrated Health
response unit

146
00:05:39,239 --> 00:05:40,674
launched in 2019.

147
00:05:40,674 --> 00:05:42,943
Combination of firefighters
and case managers

148
00:05:42,943 --> 00:05:45,045
from the Seattle
Human Services Department.

149
00:05:45,045 --> 00:05:46,947
You help people get medical
care, mental-health care,

150
00:05:46,947 --> 00:05:48,515
maybe even shelter
if they need it.

151
00:05:48,515 --> 00:05:50,717
And I think it's a similar
situation to SPD's

152
00:05:50,717 --> 00:05:52,986
because in 2018,
the fire department found

153
00:05:52,986 --> 00:05:55,689
that 42% of its calls
were low acuity.

154
00:05:55,689 --> 00:05:57,391
So I just wanted
to talk about this.

155
00:05:57,391 --> 00:05:59,893
Why is Health One important
for your department,

156
00:05:59,893 --> 00:06:01,628
and how has it been working?

157
00:06:01,628 --> 00:06:03,897
-Um, you know,
Health One's been working great.

158
00:06:03,897 --> 00:06:06,633
You know, we're four years
into it last month.

159
00:06:06,633 --> 00:06:08,035
um, like you said,

160
00:06:08,035 --> 00:06:10,871
we started in 2019
and we saw a need.

161
00:06:10,871 --> 00:06:15,542
Many of our responses were
lower acuity medical responses.

162
00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:18,612
So it didn't require that
lights and siren,

163
00:06:18,612 --> 00:06:20,380
fire-engine aid car,

164
00:06:20,380 --> 00:06:22,115
medic unit
going down the street,

165
00:06:22,115 --> 00:06:24,318
but it did require some help.

166
00:06:24,318 --> 00:06:25,819
And we had so many of those

167
00:06:25,819 --> 00:06:28,889
that they have been
overwhelming the system.

168
00:06:28,889 --> 00:06:32,059
So what we have right now is two
firefighters and a case manager,

169
00:06:32,059 --> 00:06:35,495
and they do an amazing job,
and they're able to spend

170
00:06:35,495 --> 00:06:37,731
the amount of time
that's needed on scene

171
00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:40,634
to figure out exactly
what the person needs.

172
00:06:40,634 --> 00:06:42,436
And sometimes
that takes 15 minutes

173
00:06:42,436 --> 00:06:45,038
and sometimes that takes
an hour and 15 minutes.

174
00:06:45,038 --> 00:06:46,607
Sometimes that means
that they're going to be

175
00:06:46,607 --> 00:06:48,308
going to the shelter,
or sometime that means

176
00:06:48,308 --> 00:06:50,143
that they're setting up
an appointment

177
00:06:50,143 --> 00:06:52,179
for a medical appointment
two days later.

178
00:06:52,179 --> 00:06:55,883
They do all of those things.
They have vouchers for LIFT.

179
00:06:55,883 --> 00:06:59,019
They're able to reconnect folks
to their case managers

180
00:06:59,019 --> 00:07:01,321
or health care workers
or families.

181
00:07:01,321 --> 00:07:03,457
All of those things
that you can imagine,

182
00:07:03,457 --> 00:07:05,893
that's the gap that they stand
in for the fire department,

183
00:07:05,893 --> 00:07:09,930
which is very important because
they leave our fire engines,

184
00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:12,466
ladder trucks, medic units,
aid cars available

185
00:07:12,466 --> 00:07:14,301
to run those critical
medical emergencies.

186
00:07:14,301 --> 00:07:15,569
-Got it. Thank you.

187
00:07:15,569 --> 00:07:18,138
Chief Smith, I want to make sure
I break this down,

188
00:07:18,138 --> 00:07:20,140
what it looks like
when someone calls 911

189
00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:22,075
and what resources
get dispatched where.

190
00:07:22,075 --> 00:07:23,644
So you run the show there.

191
00:07:23,644 --> 00:07:26,613
When does a 911 call turn
into a dual-dispatch situation

192
00:07:26,613 --> 00:07:27,714
or a Health One situation?

193
00:07:27,714 --> 00:07:29,483
What does that look like?

194
00:07:29,483 --> 00:07:32,553
-Yeah, so, in 911, what we want
to determine right away

195
00:07:32,553 --> 00:07:35,422
is if there's a serious
medical condition or threat,

196
00:07:35,422 --> 00:07:37,991
and then it goes right
to the Fire Alarm Center.

197
00:07:37,991 --> 00:07:39,226
And then they take it from there

198
00:07:39,226 --> 00:07:41,962
and they determine
what response to send.

199
00:07:41,962 --> 00:07:43,964
Is this fire,
is this Health One,

200
00:07:43,964 --> 00:07:45,632
Health 99, Nurse Navigation.

201
00:07:45,632 --> 00:07:47,768
There's an array of resources
on that side.

202
00:07:47,768 --> 00:07:49,570
So that's
the primary question.

203
00:07:49,570 --> 00:07:51,572
If it's not going to
the Fire Alarm Center --

204
00:07:51,572 --> 00:07:53,607
again, the question is,
"Is it an emergency?"

205
00:07:53,607 --> 00:07:55,542
because we can divert
to nonemergency.

206
00:07:55,542 --> 00:07:58,245
We've got 988 online now too.
-Right. Suicide prevention.

207
00:07:58,245 --> 00:08:00,581
-Right. Exactly.

208
00:08:00,581 --> 00:08:02,149
Um, but then the question is,

209
00:08:02,149 --> 00:08:04,117
you know,
is this a priority one,

210
00:08:04,117 --> 00:08:06,753
which means a significant
threat to life.

211
00:08:06,753 --> 00:08:08,922
That's what
priority one should be.

212
00:08:08,922 --> 00:08:11,558
So we are cleaning up
some of the call types

213
00:08:11,558 --> 00:08:14,161
and driving stronger protocols
to make sure that,

214
00:08:14,161 --> 00:08:16,029
you know, from a space
of fear and cynicism,

215
00:08:16,029 --> 00:08:18,165
we're not calling
everything priority one.

216
00:08:18,165 --> 00:08:20,033
So an officer once said,

217
00:08:20,033 --> 00:08:21,869
"Amy, if you make everything
priority one,

218
00:08:21,869 --> 00:08:23,403
nothing is priority one,"
you know,

219
00:08:23,403 --> 00:08:26,373
and that was actually
a very impactful thing for me

220
00:08:26,373 --> 00:08:29,176
to hear early, that we need to
be very thoughtful about that

221
00:08:29,176 --> 00:08:30,644
in the space
of a lot of crisis,

222
00:08:30,644 --> 00:08:34,615
a lot of violence, that
we don't mis-code, basically.

223
00:08:34,615 --> 00:08:37,117
So is it priority one,
is it priority two --

224
00:08:37,117 --> 00:08:38,819
where, again,
there is an urgency,

225
00:08:38,819 --> 00:08:41,955
there's a higher acuity,
a concern for public safety,

226
00:08:41,955 --> 00:08:44,024
potential threat of violence.

227
00:08:44,024 --> 00:08:45,259
But then as you go down,

228
00:08:45,259 --> 00:08:48,428
priority three,
we've ruled that out.

229
00:08:48,428 --> 00:08:50,497
The call takers
are very thoughtful.

230
00:08:50,497 --> 00:08:53,500
There's rigid protocols,
you know, answering questions

231
00:08:53,500 --> 00:08:54,902
and trying to surface

232
00:08:54,902 --> 00:08:57,771
what the caller is observing,
usually.

233
00:08:57,771 --> 00:08:59,206
You know, sometimes
we're calling on our own behalf,

234
00:08:59,206 --> 00:09:03,277
but often somebody's just seeing
something and feels concern,

235
00:09:03,277 --> 00:09:04,578
feels like they should
call 911.

236
00:09:04,578 --> 00:09:06,446
You know,
often it just sounds

237
00:09:06,446 --> 00:09:09,149
like a compassionate
bystander to me.

238
00:09:09,149 --> 00:09:11,418
And so people ask me
what types of calls,

239
00:09:11,418 --> 00:09:13,086
and when I'm sitting in 911

240
00:09:13,086 --> 00:09:17,457
what you often hear is,
you know, "I'm on this corner.

241
00:09:17,457 --> 00:09:19,826
He's slumped over. He doesn't
look like he's doing well."

242
00:09:19,826 --> 00:09:22,029
And so then we're trying
to surface, is this an overdose?

243
00:09:22,029 --> 00:09:24,698
Is this a heart attack,
a medical condition?

244
00:09:24,698 --> 00:09:26,200
But often it's not.

245
00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:27,568
Often somebody is crying
or they're muttering,

246
00:09:27,568 --> 00:09:28,936
they're in distress,

247
00:09:28,936 --> 00:09:31,738
it seems like
they're not safe.

248
00:09:31,738 --> 00:09:34,708
Recently, there was a call
where somebody wasn't clothed

249
00:09:34,708 --> 00:09:36,476
and it was 28 degrees outside.

250
00:09:36,476 --> 00:09:38,178
So we could see
that there's no weapon here,

251
00:09:38,178 --> 00:09:41,782
there's no violent behavior,
but we must send someone.

252
00:09:41,782 --> 00:09:42,850
And so, again,
who would be required

253
00:09:42,850 --> 00:09:45,219
in that situation, right?

254
00:09:45,219 --> 00:09:47,855
And so I'm trying
to create capacity

255
00:09:47,855 --> 00:09:51,458
for both of these two teams
who are highly skilled

256
00:09:51,458 --> 00:09:54,161
and really need to be reserved
for high-priority calls.

257
00:09:54,161 --> 00:09:55,462
-Got it.
And, Chief Scoggins,

258
00:09:55,462 --> 00:09:57,831
maybe I can add you
to the mix here,

259
00:09:57,831 --> 00:09:59,199
because I wanted to figure out

260
00:09:59,199 --> 00:10:00,834
how your Health One units
get dispatched,

261
00:10:00,834 --> 00:10:03,437
because people can't call
Health One directly,

262
00:10:03,437 --> 00:10:06,006
it has to come from 911,
right?

263
00:10:06,006 --> 00:10:07,474
I just wanted you to describe
how this looks.

264
00:10:07,474 --> 00:10:10,777
-Sure, once the call leaves
Amy's shop

265
00:10:10,777 --> 00:10:11,945
over at the 911 center,

266
00:10:11,945 --> 00:10:13,280
if it's a fire or
medical emergency,

267
00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,483
generally these calls
are in the medical category,

268
00:10:16,483 --> 00:10:18,485
then we get it
and we triage it.

269
00:10:18,485 --> 00:10:20,721
So our dispatchers go through
a series of protocols

270
00:10:20,721 --> 00:10:22,723
and all the Q&A
with the person

271
00:10:22,723 --> 00:10:24,124
on the other end of the line,

272
00:10:24,124 --> 00:10:26,593
and they'll determine
if it requires

273
00:10:26,593 --> 00:10:28,095
a full
lights-and-sirens response

274
00:10:28,095 --> 00:10:31,398
with medics, EMTs,
and fire engines,

275
00:10:31,398 --> 00:10:33,867
or can we deploy Health One

276
00:10:33,867 --> 00:10:36,570
or can we send it
to our Nurse Navigation line.

277
00:10:36,570 --> 00:10:38,639
And so oftentimes Health One

278
00:10:38,639 --> 00:10:42,709
is directly dispatched
from our Fire Alarm Center.

279
00:10:42,709 --> 00:10:44,578
So that's one way
you can get them.

280
00:10:44,578 --> 00:10:46,547
Or if they go, they treat you,

281
00:10:46,547 --> 00:10:49,149
they build a relationship
and they reconnect with you,

282
00:10:49,149 --> 00:10:51,185
we actually do case
management on Health One.

283
00:10:51,185 --> 00:10:53,654
So there's follow-up
that takes place the next day,

284
00:10:53,654 --> 00:10:56,290
the day after, to make sure
you got your meds filled,

285
00:10:56,290 --> 00:10:58,158
to make sure you got
your appointment.

286
00:10:58,158 --> 00:10:59,193
If you're an older adult,

287
00:10:59,193 --> 00:11:01,161
we have
a vulnerable adults program,

288
00:11:01,161 --> 00:11:02,462
so we go and check
to make sure

289
00:11:02,462 --> 00:11:04,198
they're getting
what they need.

290
00:11:04,198 --> 00:11:06,066
And the reason why
that's important is,

291
00:11:06,066 --> 00:11:08,368
if we do not
do these things,

292
00:11:08,368 --> 00:11:12,239
they will be a 911 emergency
where you do need the medics

293
00:11:12,239 --> 00:11:14,908
and all of the skills
that we have.

294
00:11:14,908 --> 00:11:16,109
-All right, thank you. Chief.

295
00:11:16,109 --> 00:11:17,578
Chief Diaz,
I wanted your take on this

296
00:11:17,578 --> 00:11:19,046
because your officers go out

297
00:11:19,046 --> 00:11:21,415
with these behavioral
health specialists from CARE

298
00:11:21,415 --> 00:11:22,916
on these dual-dispatch calls.

299
00:11:22,916 --> 00:11:24,151
I'm just trying to figure out

300
00:11:24,151 --> 00:11:26,286
what is the officer's role
in those situations

301
00:11:26,286 --> 00:11:28,689
and also when and how
can an officer decide,

302
00:11:28,689 --> 00:11:30,490
"Okay, health specialist,
you got this.

303
00:11:30,490 --> 00:11:32,392
I'm moving to another call."
What does that look like?

304
00:11:32,392 --> 00:11:33,894
-Yeah, it's just like
any other call.

305
00:11:33,894 --> 00:11:36,230
What the fire department
does is it's triaging.

306
00:11:36,230 --> 00:11:38,866
It's really assessing,
is there harm?

307
00:11:38,866 --> 00:11:41,268
And what is that harm and is --

308
00:11:41,268 --> 00:11:44,471
And when I say "harm,"
I mean, is it a safety issue

309
00:11:44,471 --> 00:11:48,542
and is it a safety issue for,
for the care workers to,

310
00:11:48,542 --> 00:11:50,410
to be able to proceed?

311
00:11:50,410 --> 00:11:52,246
And a lot of these situations
that we have,

312
00:11:52,246 --> 00:11:53,947
dealing with people in crisis

313
00:11:53,947 --> 00:11:57,050
or what we refer to as,
sometimes, "people down" calls,

314
00:11:57,050 --> 00:11:59,820
um, where somebody
literally it's probably

315
00:11:59,820 --> 00:12:01,688
because of
an alcohol intoxication,

316
00:12:01,688 --> 00:12:03,857
could be drug,
you know, a drug issue.

317
00:12:03,857 --> 00:12:05,325
It could be a variety
of different things.

318
00:12:05,325 --> 00:12:07,060
It could be just people
sleeping on the sidewalk.

319
00:12:07,060 --> 00:12:09,496
And officers are having
to go to that,

320
00:12:09,496 --> 00:12:12,900
and they're like, "What
resources are we gonna provide?"

321
00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:16,970
-Right.
-And there's no safety issue.

322
00:12:16,970 --> 00:12:18,505
So, you know,
they're going to end up

323
00:12:18,505 --> 00:12:20,541
making that assessment to say,
"Well, CARE,

324
00:12:20,541 --> 00:12:23,377
it's better
in your department."

325
00:12:23,377 --> 00:12:24,811
-I always
get this question, though,

326
00:12:24,811 --> 00:12:26,813
when I talk to people
about dual dispatch.

327
00:12:26,813 --> 00:12:28,949
It might seem like the situation
is under control,

328
00:12:28,949 --> 00:12:30,851
but what if it escalates
in some way?

329
00:12:30,851 --> 00:12:32,719
What happens then?
What does that look like?

330
00:12:32,719 --> 00:12:34,254
-Yeah, you can
already start to --

331
00:12:34,254 --> 00:12:36,390
officers are already assessing
those situations

332
00:12:36,390 --> 00:12:38,125
very much
on the front end.

333
00:12:38,125 --> 00:12:39,927
You can tell when
a person's, you know,

334
00:12:39,927 --> 00:12:44,164
can have triggers or agitation
in the call very early on,

335
00:12:44,164 --> 00:12:46,233
just by them showing up.

336
00:12:46,233 --> 00:12:49,169
And sometimes the officers
might actually sit back

337
00:12:49,169 --> 00:12:52,439
and let the contact be
the CARE department initial.

338
00:12:52,439 --> 00:12:54,541
And if they start to see,
okay,

339
00:12:54,541 --> 00:12:56,009
this person is
already aggravated

340
00:12:56,009 --> 00:12:58,212
and then I'm going to
end up stepping in,

341
00:12:58,212 --> 00:12:59,746
it might end up being
that the officers,

342
00:12:59,746 --> 00:13:01,181
you know,
are coming on scene,

343
00:13:01,181 --> 00:13:03,116
and the person actually
might be aggravated

344
00:13:03,116 --> 00:13:04,952
by the officers
and they might say, you know,

345
00:13:04,952 --> 00:13:07,921
"It's best for us
to just step back,

346
00:13:07,921 --> 00:13:09,890
let the CARE people assess it,

347
00:13:09,890 --> 00:13:11,358
and we're just
going to stay away.

348
00:13:11,358 --> 00:13:12,793
We're not going
to leave the scene,

349
00:13:12,793 --> 00:13:14,461
but we'll just
let them handle it."

350
00:13:14,461 --> 00:13:17,364
So again, everything is
a case-by-case situation.

351
00:13:17,364 --> 00:13:19,967
But, you know, officers
have done this for a long time.

352
00:13:19,967 --> 00:13:21,802
In fact,
they've been doing it.

353
00:13:21,802 --> 00:13:22,970
They've been
handling those calls.

354
00:13:22,970 --> 00:13:24,738
And they're like, at this point,

355
00:13:24,738 --> 00:13:26,440
it's better
for another department

356
00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,008
to start taking leadership
in it.

357
00:13:28,008 --> 00:13:29,476
-Chief Smith,
can you just talk to me

358
00:13:29,476 --> 00:13:32,312
about this from a dispatcher
kind of a situation?

359
00:13:32,312 --> 00:13:35,115
This call comes in, at first
classified as lower acuity,

360
00:13:35,115 --> 00:13:36,617
but then something escalates.

361
00:13:36,617 --> 00:13:39,653
How does that work in terms
of how you're communicating?

362
00:13:39,653 --> 00:13:41,388
-Yeah, well, there's two ways
the CARE team

363
00:13:41,388 --> 00:13:42,489
has been responding.

364
00:13:42,489 --> 00:13:45,526
The first way is
that police go to a call

365
00:13:45,526 --> 00:13:47,728
and then they say,
"Is the CARE team available?"

366
00:13:47,728 --> 00:13:49,763
They just --
I hear it all day long,

367
00:13:49,763 --> 00:13:51,732
I'm listening to the radio,
and it made me smile

368
00:13:51,732 --> 00:13:55,802
because I didn't know if
the police would have trust

369
00:13:55,802 --> 00:13:57,871
in that new resource
right out of the gate.

370
00:13:57,871 --> 00:14:00,073
But week one, I mean,
I heard it all the time.

371
00:14:00,073 --> 00:14:02,910
I'm hearing requests
for the CARE team from officers

372
00:14:02,910 --> 00:14:04,444
sometimes at 7:00 or 8:00
in the morning,

373
00:14:04,444 --> 00:14:05,712
and we're not online yet.

374
00:14:05,712 --> 00:14:07,080
You know, we're coming on
at 11:00.

375
00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,816
But I'm very happy to
hear that. It's going well.

376
00:14:09,816 --> 00:14:12,052
You know, the feedback loop
is in place

377
00:14:12,052 --> 00:14:13,287
with both of these departments

378
00:14:13,287 --> 00:14:15,255
and then with other folks
in the field

379
00:14:15,255 --> 00:14:17,024
and Human Service Department.

380
00:14:17,024 --> 00:14:18,892
So we're having
these coordination meetings.

381
00:14:18,892 --> 00:14:20,127
But so that's one way.

382
00:14:20,127 --> 00:14:21,562
That would be
a secondary response.

383
00:14:21,562 --> 00:14:23,730
And again, police have been
doing this for a long time.

384
00:14:23,730 --> 00:14:25,766
They've had CSOs
that they invoke.

385
00:14:25,766 --> 00:14:28,402
They've worked with the
King County Mobile Crisis Team.

386
00:14:28,402 --> 00:14:30,971
And so it's not as confusing
on the inside

387
00:14:30,971 --> 00:14:32,472
as people assume
that it would be.

388
00:14:32,472 --> 00:14:34,474
It's exactly the same protocol.

389
00:14:34,474 --> 00:14:37,678
It's just swifter.
It's a swifter dispatch model.

390
00:14:37,678 --> 00:14:40,180
So dual dispatch,
if our dispatchers say,

391
00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:42,549
"This is a good thing
for the CARE team" --

392
00:14:42,549 --> 00:14:45,319
sometimes it's
a high utilizer.

393
00:14:45,319 --> 00:14:46,587
-Someone who might call 911
a lot.

394
00:14:46,587 --> 00:14:49,523
-All the time,
is consistently in distress.

395
00:14:49,523 --> 00:14:51,024
And we can see in our notes

396
00:14:51,024 --> 00:14:53,227
that there's never been
a threat of violence,

397
00:14:53,227 --> 00:14:55,596
that there's a sort of
a chronic issue

398
00:14:55,596 --> 00:14:56,797
and we know how to respond.

399
00:14:56,797 --> 00:14:58,065
And in that scenario,

400
00:14:58,065 --> 00:15:00,434
police are given
situational awareness,

401
00:15:00,434 --> 00:15:01,835
they're on the channel,
but they can say,

402
00:15:01,835 --> 00:15:03,136
"CARE team, take it.

403
00:15:03,136 --> 00:15:04,705
Let us know
if you need anything."

404
00:15:04,705 --> 00:15:08,842
So all folks on the
front lines of human behavior

405
00:15:08,842 --> 00:15:11,745
and crisis response
were really well trained to know

406
00:15:11,745 --> 00:15:14,648
when to take a step back,
when to not proceed.

407
00:15:14,648 --> 00:15:17,584
And this happens between
these two departments already.

408
00:15:17,584 --> 00:15:19,219
You know, often fire
will be going in

409
00:15:19,219 --> 00:15:21,955
and then they'll realize, "Nope,
we need to be partnered

410
00:15:21,955 --> 00:15:23,624
with our officers first."

411
00:15:23,624 --> 00:15:25,459
-Yeah, I was gonna ask for your
take on this, Chief Scoggins.

412
00:15:25,459 --> 00:15:27,728
Have you been able
to respond with Health One,

413
00:15:27,728 --> 00:15:30,531
but then it's turning
into a larger emergency?

414
00:15:30,531 --> 00:15:32,132
Talk to me about
those two pieces.

415
00:15:32,132 --> 00:15:33,834
-Well, sure, I think this
happens every day

416
00:15:33,834 --> 00:15:35,502
between police and fire.

417
00:15:35,502 --> 00:15:37,437
We go
on so many calls together,

418
00:15:37,437 --> 00:15:39,039
whether it's a scene
of violence,

419
00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:41,041
whether it's an overdose,

420
00:15:41,041 --> 00:15:43,677
whether it's a really
bad traffic accident.

421
00:15:43,677 --> 00:15:46,446
We're always
working together in the field

422
00:15:46,446 --> 00:15:48,849
and we've been
doing that forever.

423
00:15:48,849 --> 00:15:51,418
And I think we do it really,
really, really well.

424
00:15:51,418 --> 00:15:52,719
We support each other.

425
00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:54,821
We'll call for P.D.
when we need some assistance,

426
00:15:54,821 --> 00:15:57,357
or they'll call for fire
when they need some assistance.

427
00:15:57,357 --> 00:15:59,193
So it's been happening

428
00:15:59,193 --> 00:16:01,828
and it will continue to happen
with Amy's team

429
00:16:01,828 --> 00:16:04,298
because there's a lot of
people out there that need help.

430
00:16:04,298 --> 00:16:05,666
And what you can see right here

431
00:16:05,666 --> 00:16:07,935
is we're trying to figure out
what help you need,

432
00:16:07,935 --> 00:16:10,337
and that'll determine
on who's sent.

433
00:16:10,337 --> 00:16:11,638
-Thank you. Yeah.

434
00:16:11,638 --> 00:16:13,440
And Chief Scoggins,
I'll stick with you on this one.

435
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,976
I want to try to talk about
some of the challenges
involved with this work.

436
00:16:15,976 --> 00:16:17,177
I think about this.

437
00:16:17,177 --> 00:16:19,613
Your crew meets with a patient,
takes the time

438
00:16:19,613 --> 00:16:21,782
to deal with their needs,
and then what next?

439
00:16:21,782 --> 00:16:23,550
Because you know it
and I know it --

440
00:16:23,550 --> 00:16:26,019
Our region has a shortage
of receiving facilities,

441
00:16:26,019 --> 00:16:27,221
drug and alcohol
treatment centers,

442
00:16:27,221 --> 00:16:29,723
nursing facilities,
shelters, et cetera.

443
00:16:29,723 --> 00:16:32,025
How does that shortage
impact the work of Health One?

444
00:16:32,025 --> 00:16:34,728
-It's a significant impact.

445
00:16:34,728 --> 00:16:37,931
Places to take people
is our rate-limiting step

446
00:16:37,931 --> 00:16:39,433
each and every day.

447
00:16:39,433 --> 00:16:42,002
We can't just take everyone
to the emergency room.

448
00:16:42,002 --> 00:16:44,671
People need so many
different things.

449
00:16:44,671 --> 00:16:48,275
Someone may need a shelter bed,
and the shelters may be full.

450
00:16:48,275 --> 00:16:50,043
Someone may need a place
to go

451
00:16:50,043 --> 00:16:52,913
for their
substance-use dependency

452
00:16:52,913 --> 00:16:54,414
and we want
to get them there,

453
00:16:54,414 --> 00:16:56,750
and that's what our Health 99
team has been doing since June,

454
00:16:56,750 --> 00:16:58,719
and that's the
overdose response team.

455
00:16:58,719 --> 00:17:01,855
But what they're seeing is
there's just not places

456
00:17:01,855 --> 00:17:03,757
to take people,
even when we get them to,

457
00:17:03,757 --> 00:17:06,059
"Yes, that I'm ready
to change my life.

458
00:17:06,059 --> 00:17:07,294
I want to get some help.

459
00:17:07,294 --> 00:17:09,396
I want to get off of this,"
whatever this is.

460
00:17:09,396 --> 00:17:13,066
Oftentimes our challenge
is finding a place to take them.

461
00:17:13,066 --> 00:17:14,735
And so that's
our rate-limiting step.

462
00:17:14,735 --> 00:17:17,871
I know a lot of work
is being done on this space.

463
00:17:17,871 --> 00:17:20,040
It just seems like a slow walk

464
00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,309
when you're running the calls
every single day

465
00:17:22,309 --> 00:17:25,312
and you're running into
the same barrier every day.

466
00:17:25,312 --> 00:17:26,580
And is it
a deal where it's like,

467
00:17:26,580 --> 00:17:28,115
"Okay, we'll check up
with you tomorrow.

468
00:17:28,115 --> 00:17:29,616
We can't we don't have
that space right now"?

469
00:17:29,616 --> 00:17:30,751
Is that what it turns into?

470
00:17:30,751 --> 00:17:32,786
-It turns into
all of those things.

471
00:17:32,786 --> 00:17:34,021
"We'll check in
with you tomorrow.

472
00:17:34,021 --> 00:17:35,122
We'll follow up with you.

473
00:17:35,122 --> 00:17:36,657
Let's get your
cellphone number,"

474
00:17:36,657 --> 00:17:39,860
because if someone is unhoused
and sometimes it's difficult

475
00:17:39,860 --> 00:17:41,695
to try to find them
the next day.

476
00:17:41,695 --> 00:17:44,932
And so when they have
a cellphone, we work hard,

477
00:17:44,932 --> 00:17:47,501
but we carry a lot of things to
build trusting relationships,

478
00:17:47,501 --> 00:17:50,370
whether it's snacks and food
and socks and water,

479
00:17:50,370 --> 00:17:53,740
and on cold days blankets,
and all of those things.

480
00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:56,677
All these interactions
help us build trust.

481
00:17:56,677 --> 00:17:59,179
And our team
has great relationships.

482
00:17:59,179 --> 00:18:02,583
Each day we have two Health One
unit teams on the street,

483
00:18:02,583 --> 00:18:05,719
and we have Health 99, which was
our third Health One unit.

484
00:18:05,719 --> 00:18:09,289
But that unit is running
overdose calls all day long.

485
00:18:09,289 --> 00:18:11,225
And their number one goal
is to try to figure out

486
00:18:11,225 --> 00:18:15,095
how to get people to transition
into a different lifestyle.

487
00:18:15,095 --> 00:18:17,698
-Yeah, and maybe I can
jump off of that

488
00:18:17,698 --> 00:18:19,032
and go to you, Chief Diaz,

489
00:18:19,032 --> 00:18:21,001
because I did want to talk
about the fentanyl crisis

490
00:18:21,001 --> 00:18:22,669
that our region
is in right now.

491
00:18:22,669 --> 00:18:24,838
And as you know, we had
a big public debate in Seattle

492
00:18:24,838 --> 00:18:26,240
over the past several months,

493
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,208
creating a gross misdemeanor
statute

494
00:18:28,208 --> 00:18:30,043
on public drug use
and possession.

495
00:18:30,043 --> 00:18:31,478
I just wanted to make sure
I broke this down,

496
00:18:31,478 --> 00:18:33,313
because you got some people
out there saying,

497
00:18:33,313 --> 00:18:35,282
"Lock them all up," and then
you got other people saying,

498
00:18:35,282 --> 00:18:37,518
"We don't want a return
to the war on drugs."

499
00:18:37,518 --> 00:18:38,852
I guess I'm just trying
to figure out

500
00:18:38,852 --> 00:18:41,555
how is the SPD approaching
our drug crisis,

501
00:18:41,555 --> 00:18:42,689
how are partners like CARE

502
00:18:42,689 --> 00:18:44,124
and the fire department
helping out?

503
00:18:44,124 --> 00:18:45,993
-Yeah, you know,
as I mentioned earlier,

504
00:18:45,993 --> 00:18:49,029
we talk about
us policing social issues.

505
00:18:49,029 --> 00:18:51,865
Drug and alcohol addiction
are much a social issue.

506
00:18:51,865 --> 00:18:54,601
I mean, now,
there are criminal activity

507
00:18:54,601 --> 00:18:56,336
that occurs as people sell

508
00:18:56,336 --> 00:18:58,872
and, you know,
it creates a black market system

509
00:18:58,872 --> 00:19:00,707
and you have a variety
of crime activity

510
00:19:00,707 --> 00:19:02,342
that's associated with that.

511
00:19:02,342 --> 00:19:05,012
But the actual addiction
is really something

512
00:19:05,012 --> 00:19:07,181
that we find ourselves
having to police.

513
00:19:07,181 --> 00:19:10,684
And so, you know, really, as
working with the mayor's office,

514
00:19:10,684 --> 00:19:13,820
city council, and other
community partners in this,

515
00:19:13,820 --> 00:19:15,923
we all had a seat
at the table

516
00:19:15,923 --> 00:19:17,891
to create this
new drug usage law.

517
00:19:17,891 --> 00:19:21,061
And we really identify "harm"
and "no harm."

518
00:19:21,061 --> 00:19:24,064
And when there is no harm,
somebody's in an encampment,

519
00:19:24,064 --> 00:19:26,300
and they're, you know,
smoking fentanyl,

520
00:19:26,300 --> 00:19:28,202
we still want
to get them into services,

521
00:19:28,202 --> 00:19:31,238
but we're not going down
the approach of an arrest.

522
00:19:31,238 --> 00:19:33,240
But when there is harm,
when we know that, you know,

523
00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,442
we can look at Third and Pike
or 12th and Jackson

524
00:19:35,442 --> 00:19:37,444
or, you know,
other areas in our city

525
00:19:37,444 --> 00:19:39,680
that there are
a lot of harm that --

526
00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:41,215
you know, school environment
of kids

527
00:19:41,215 --> 00:19:43,116
going walking through
these areas,

528
00:19:43,116 --> 00:19:44,785
um, you know,
shopping districts,

529
00:19:44,785 --> 00:19:47,254
criminal activity
that's associated with it.

530
00:19:47,254 --> 00:19:50,290
And we know we can identify
quickly that there is harm.

531
00:19:50,290 --> 00:19:52,426
And so that is where
the officer can come in

532
00:19:52,426 --> 00:19:54,328
and make that,
you know, contact.

533
00:19:54,328 --> 00:19:56,930
We might refer to it
as an arrest.

534
00:19:56,930 --> 00:20:01,602
Um, but our sole goal
is to get them into services.

535
00:20:01,602 --> 00:20:02,936
But, you know,
what we're finding is,

536
00:20:02,936 --> 00:20:05,906
is that people have also
have issues of warrants.

537
00:20:05,906 --> 00:20:07,908
We've, you know,
recovered a rape warrant,

538
00:20:07,908 --> 00:20:09,276
we've recovered
assault warrants.

539
00:20:09,276 --> 00:20:11,144
And, you know,
we've actually recovered guns.

540
00:20:11,144 --> 00:20:12,913
And so there are other things

541
00:20:12,913 --> 00:20:15,115
usually sometimes can be
associated with that.

542
00:20:15,115 --> 00:20:16,517
But at the end of the day,

543
00:20:16,517 --> 00:20:17,985
if there is somebody
that is willing

544
00:20:17,985 --> 00:20:21,255
and wanting to get services,
we are hoping them to connect

545
00:20:21,255 --> 00:20:23,257
into a variety
of different programs.

546
00:20:23,257 --> 00:20:25,092
And that's where
our officers' goals are.

547
00:20:25,092 --> 00:20:27,761
-Right, you can't arrest
your way out of this

548
00:20:27,761 --> 00:20:29,329
is definitely
what I'm hearing here.

549
00:20:29,329 --> 00:20:30,631
Thank you for breaking
that down.

550
00:20:30,631 --> 00:20:32,566
Chief Smith, I wanted to talk
about a challenge

551
00:20:32,566 --> 00:20:34,601
that I'm seeing with CARE,
and you touched on this earlier.

552
00:20:34,601 --> 00:20:36,870
Just the size of it.
You got three teams of two.

553
00:20:36,870 --> 00:20:38,939
They've got certain hours
that they're working every day.

554
00:20:38,939 --> 00:20:42,309
Six employees out there working
in this downtown core area.

555
00:20:42,309 --> 00:20:43,443
I guess I just wanted to ask,

556
00:20:43,443 --> 00:20:45,579
is that going to be enough
to make a dent,

557
00:20:45,579 --> 00:20:47,514
to make a tangible impact
on public safety?

558
00:20:47,514 --> 00:20:49,983
-No.
It's a meaningful step forward

559
00:20:49,983 --> 00:20:52,085
because the department
is organized now.

560
00:20:52,085 --> 00:20:55,289
This was legislated, right?

561
00:20:55,289 --> 00:20:57,791
We have these new first
responders in the city.

562
00:20:57,791 --> 00:21:00,827
So it's incredibly significant,
and I feel that.

563
00:21:00,827 --> 00:21:03,197
But I'm always quick to say,
with police co-response

564
00:21:03,197 --> 00:21:04,665
with Health One,
Health 99,

565
00:21:04,665 --> 00:21:08,635
we are woefully inadequate
to respond to the crisis.

566
00:21:08,635 --> 00:21:10,070
You know,
I think folks feel like,

567
00:21:10,070 --> 00:21:12,739
"Oh, we've got a team now."
No, it's six people.

568
00:21:12,739 --> 00:21:14,141
And this is shift work.

569
00:21:14,141 --> 00:21:16,510
And so I don't even have
all my six people

570
00:21:16,510 --> 00:21:18,212
in the field at the same time.

571
00:21:18,212 --> 00:21:19,947
We would need
to scale significantly,

572
00:21:19,947 --> 00:21:22,082
but we also need
to coordinate efforts.

573
00:21:22,082 --> 00:21:25,352
We're all in conversations about
what else could be dispatched.

574
00:21:25,352 --> 00:21:27,187
We have great
community service officers.

575
00:21:27,187 --> 00:21:28,689
Could we dispatch them from 911?

576
00:21:28,689 --> 00:21:30,958
That's happened in the past.
Could we do that again?

577
00:21:30,958 --> 00:21:33,460
So looking at the whole system,

578
00:21:33,460 --> 00:21:36,396
what does the nonprofit sector
have to respond,

579
00:21:36,396 --> 00:21:38,131
you know, what does
the public sector?

580
00:21:38,131 --> 00:21:40,234
Are there other
private entities, groups?

581
00:21:40,234 --> 00:21:42,336
We've got
We Deliver Care teams like that.

582
00:21:42,336 --> 00:21:45,572
And I'm really having fun
in the role because a lot of it,

583
00:21:45,572 --> 00:21:47,908
it does feel like air-traffic
control a little bit,

584
00:21:47,908 --> 00:21:50,010
and also I like analysis.

585
00:21:50,010 --> 00:21:52,312
-You have a different idea of
fun than I do, but keep going.

586
00:21:52,312 --> 00:21:54,381
-Yeah, I've been
told that before.

587
00:21:54,381 --> 00:21:55,816
No, I'm having
a really good time

588
00:21:55,816 --> 00:21:59,653
because I love figuring out
how do you really audit

589
00:21:59,653 --> 00:22:01,889
every asset you have
in community,

590
00:22:01,889 --> 00:22:03,190
get everyone in a room,

591
00:22:03,190 --> 00:22:06,026
and then figure out
who does what the best,

592
00:22:06,026 --> 00:22:07,528
and then,
where are the gaps?

593
00:22:07,528 --> 00:22:08,762
And then you start to scale.

594
00:22:08,762 --> 00:22:10,697
And so even right now
I'm not recommending

595
00:22:10,697 --> 00:22:12,165
that I scale this team.

596
00:22:12,165 --> 00:22:15,002
I want to stitch together the
continuum of crisis response.

597
00:22:15,002 --> 00:22:16,503
And I may make
the recommendation,

598
00:22:16,503 --> 00:22:18,238
no, we need
more co-response.

599
00:22:18,238 --> 00:22:20,140
We are in a fentanyl crisis
right now.

600
00:22:20,140 --> 00:22:22,576
We have 1,200 overdoses,
you know,

601
00:22:22,576 --> 00:22:25,245
so even when we talk
about record homicides,

602
00:22:25,245 --> 00:22:29,283
that is so significant
and so tragic, but 1,200.

603
00:22:29,283 --> 00:22:32,953
You know, so back to your
question about, you know,

604
00:22:32,953 --> 00:22:34,721
criminalizing addiction
and things like that.

605
00:22:34,721 --> 00:22:36,089
Of course
I don't want to do that,

606
00:22:36,089 --> 00:22:37,491
but we have to intervene

607
00:22:37,491 --> 00:22:40,127
in a way that people
have a chance at life.

608
00:22:40,127 --> 00:22:41,695
And fentanyl is not the same

609
00:22:41,695 --> 00:22:43,463
as other substance-use
disorders.

610
00:22:43,463 --> 00:22:44,798
-Yeah.
Very true. Thank you.

611
00:22:44,798 --> 00:22:46,200
We need to start
wrapping up here,

612
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:47,534
and you were going down a path
that I'd like for you

613
00:22:47,534 --> 00:22:49,203
to keep going, if you could,
Chief Smith,

614
00:22:49,203 --> 00:22:50,571
because I want to try
to figure out

615
00:22:50,571 --> 00:22:53,841
how to measure success
in your work in public safety.

616
00:22:53,841 --> 00:22:55,342
A few months from now
will it be,

617
00:22:55,342 --> 00:22:57,611
"Our teams have
responded to X amount of calls

618
00:22:57,611 --> 00:23:00,047
or gotten X amount of people
into drug treatment"?

619
00:23:00,047 --> 00:23:01,515
What does success
look like for you?

620
00:23:01,515 --> 00:23:02,783
-Yeah, in the short run,

621
00:23:02,783 --> 00:23:04,952
what we're really
looking for are outputs.

622
00:23:04,952 --> 00:23:06,854
You know, we're not
going to have outcomes yet

623
00:23:06,854 --> 00:23:08,956
because, again,
we don't have a system

624
00:23:08,956 --> 00:23:10,357
set up to receive people

625
00:23:10,357 --> 00:23:13,594
in a way that could provide
a meaningful intervention

626
00:23:13,594 --> 00:23:15,062
where your life is redirected.

627
00:23:15,062 --> 00:23:16,230
We don't have that yet.

628
00:23:16,230 --> 00:23:18,298
I'm looking for
response time right now.

629
00:23:18,298 --> 00:23:20,167
Can police and fire
get to more

630
00:23:20,167 --> 00:23:22,569
priority one and two calls
more efficiently?

631
00:23:22,569 --> 00:23:24,605
That's very easy to track.

632
00:23:24,605 --> 00:23:26,740
I'm looking very carefully
at the CARE metrics.

633
00:23:26,740 --> 00:23:29,476
Our average response time
right now is five minutes.

634
00:23:29,476 --> 00:23:30,577
In part that's because

635
00:23:30,577 --> 00:23:33,113
we're in a small
geographic location.

636
00:23:33,113 --> 00:23:35,549
Qualitative data.
Did you feel safe?

637
00:23:35,549 --> 00:23:37,618
Did you feel
equipped to respond?

638
00:23:37,618 --> 00:23:38,919
Were police needed?

639
00:23:38,919 --> 00:23:42,122
Do police perceive that
this is a useful step forward?

640
00:23:42,122 --> 00:23:43,590
You know,
on the community level,

641
00:23:43,590 --> 00:23:46,793
I'm with a lot of neighborhoods
and the business community,

642
00:23:46,793 --> 00:23:49,963
and really what I'm trying
to assess for myself is hope.

643
00:23:49,963 --> 00:23:51,298
Do we have a sense

644
00:23:51,298 --> 00:23:53,634
that things could be better
than they are?

645
00:23:53,634 --> 00:23:55,569
Because I feel like
our communities

646
00:23:55,569 --> 00:23:57,905
are disenfranchised,
we're discouraged.

647
00:23:57,905 --> 00:24:00,307
There's a lot of grief
and loss and sadness

648
00:24:00,307 --> 00:24:02,075
that hangs in the air
when you walk around,

649
00:24:02,075 --> 00:24:04,111
knowing that we've invested
millions of dollars,

650
00:24:04,111 --> 00:24:05,679
and why is it getting worse?

651
00:24:05,679 --> 00:24:08,982
So it's again,
a meaningful aspect to the work

652
00:24:08,982 --> 00:24:10,984
to be
in these conversations.

653
00:24:10,984 --> 00:24:14,655
I recognize that even just
our true collaboration

654
00:24:14,655 --> 00:24:16,857
and respect for one another
and coordination,

655
00:24:16,857 --> 00:24:18,559
that is hopeful to people.

656
00:24:18,559 --> 00:24:20,694
It's significant,
apparently, you know,

657
00:24:20,694 --> 00:24:22,829
that this mayor's office
is insisting

658
00:24:22,829 --> 00:24:24,698
that we really
are collaborative

659
00:24:24,698 --> 00:24:27,668
and that the mayor's office
will collaborate with council.

660
00:24:27,668 --> 00:24:29,670
-Yeah, it's important to hear
that. Thank you very much.

661
00:24:29,670 --> 00:24:31,805
Chief Scoggins, just some
thoughts on measuring success.

662
00:24:31,805 --> 00:24:33,640
You've had some success
with Health One.

663
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,175
Where does that program
need to go?

664
00:24:35,175 --> 00:24:37,611
Your hopes for this team-up
we're talking about right here?

665
00:24:37,611 --> 00:24:38,879
-Yeah, some of the ways

666
00:24:38,879 --> 00:24:41,181
we measure success is what
Amy just mentioned is,

667
00:24:41,181 --> 00:24:45,152
are we keeping our emergency
response units available?

668
00:24:45,152 --> 00:24:48,088
That's one. Another area is,
are we helping people?

669
00:24:48,088 --> 00:24:49,489
We're able to look and see,

670
00:24:49,489 --> 00:24:52,259
how many vulnerable adults
did we actually help?

671
00:24:52,259 --> 00:24:54,995
How many times have
we reconnected someone

672
00:24:54,995 --> 00:24:57,397
with their case manager
or their family?

673
00:24:57,397 --> 00:24:59,900
How many people have we
actually gotten off the street

674
00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:01,368
and into a shelter bed?

675
00:25:01,368 --> 00:25:04,037
These are just some of the ways
we measure success,

676
00:25:04,037 --> 00:25:05,372
and we can look back on that.

677
00:25:05,372 --> 00:25:09,209
In 2022, we had over 1,100
direct dispatches,

678
00:25:09,209 --> 00:25:12,145
but over 2,700 referrals
that were made

679
00:25:12,145 --> 00:25:14,081
by the firefighters
in the field that we went

680
00:25:14,081 --> 00:25:16,717
and did follow up on
because people needed help.

681
00:25:16,717 --> 00:25:19,620
All those are ways
that we measure success.

682
00:25:19,620 --> 00:25:21,421
-Thank you. Chief Diaz,
I'll have you wrap up.

683
00:25:21,421 --> 00:25:23,624
And I've talked with you
about metrics of success

684
00:25:23,624 --> 00:25:24,691
in a lot of different ways.

685
00:25:24,691 --> 00:25:26,727
You're trying to
reduce response times

686
00:25:26,727 --> 00:25:27,794
for top-priority 911 calls.

687
00:25:27,794 --> 00:25:29,229
You're trying
to hire more officers.

688
00:25:29,229 --> 00:25:30,631
You're trying to develop
a culture

689
00:25:30,631 --> 00:25:32,366
of more compassionate
and equitable policing.

690
00:25:32,366 --> 00:25:34,067
You've got a lot on your plate,
I know.

691
00:25:34,067 --> 00:25:36,837
Focusing on the work
of this group at the table here,

692
00:25:36,837 --> 00:25:38,472
how are you going
to gauge the success

693
00:25:38,472 --> 00:25:39,506
of what's happening here?

694
00:25:39,506 --> 00:25:41,808
-Well, our boss
immediately always says

695
00:25:41,808 --> 00:25:44,444
the number one charter
for the city is public safety.

696
00:25:44,444 --> 00:25:46,780
And for us,
it is literally making sure

697
00:25:46,780 --> 00:25:48,916
that people feel safe
in the city.

698
00:25:48,916 --> 00:25:51,451
And, you know,
I know I walk the areas,

699
00:25:51,451 --> 00:25:53,387
I actually drive by
some of these locations

700
00:25:53,387 --> 00:25:56,356
every single morning as I come
into work to get an assessment

701
00:25:56,356 --> 00:25:58,358
of what it's going to
look like for the day.

702
00:25:58,358 --> 00:26:02,462
And so, you know, we look
at there's really both sides.

703
00:26:02,462 --> 00:26:04,932
There's
the qualitative metrics --

704
00:26:04,932 --> 00:26:07,334
How do people feel
when they walk in the streets?

705
00:26:07,334 --> 00:26:09,636
Do they feel like
there's disorganization?

706
00:26:09,636 --> 00:26:11,004
Do they feel safe?

707
00:26:11,004 --> 00:26:12,506
And then there's
the quantitative,

708
00:26:12,506 --> 00:26:13,607
which is all the stats stuff.

709
00:26:13,607 --> 00:26:16,310
And we're monitoring both.

710
00:26:16,310 --> 00:26:19,713
I looked at my stats
just for 2018

711
00:26:19,713 --> 00:26:22,449
as a comparison,
just five years ago.

712
00:26:22,449 --> 00:26:26,987
We're actually on the same
violent crime trend as 2018,

713
00:26:26,987 --> 00:26:31,391
but I had 31 homicides in 2018,
I have 71 right now.

714
00:26:31,391 --> 00:26:33,460
And so, like, why is it --

715
00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:36,129
when you're looking
at almost 5,000 cases,

716
00:26:36,129 --> 00:26:38,699
why is the difference
between 40 homicides?

717
00:26:38,699 --> 00:26:41,902
You know, when we look
at overdoses at a record high,

718
00:26:41,902 --> 00:26:44,771
almost four times what we had
just a couple of years ago,

719
00:26:44,771 --> 00:26:46,106
you know, we've got
to figure out

720
00:26:46,106 --> 00:26:49,776
what policies are in place
that we're actually doing,

721
00:26:49,776 --> 00:26:51,912
is there a contributing factor?

722
00:26:51,912 --> 00:26:53,480
Are we working with
the prosecutor's office?

723
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,016
Is our criminal justice system
working?

724
00:26:56,016 --> 00:26:57,818
Is our partnerships
working with, you know,

725
00:26:57,818 --> 00:27:00,120
getting people into the
right services and connected?

726
00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:02,656
So there's a variety of areas
that we're still looking

727
00:27:02,656 --> 00:27:04,825
and making sure that
we're actually measuring

728
00:27:04,825 --> 00:27:06,460
the right metrics.

729
00:27:06,460 --> 00:27:07,828
But there's still more
to measure.

730
00:27:07,828 --> 00:27:09,463
-I was gonna say --
To be continued.

731
00:27:09,463 --> 00:27:10,664
There's a lot more
to this story.

732
00:27:10,664 --> 00:27:11,932
Thank you all for your input.

733
00:27:11,932 --> 00:27:15,102
And everyone watching,
thanks for your input too.

734
00:27:15,102 --> 00:27:17,137
What are people
saying on social media

735
00:27:17,137 --> 00:27:19,106
about public safety in Seattle?

736
00:27:19,106 --> 00:27:20,240
One person writes...

737
00:27:28,615 --> 00:27:29,950
Another person comments...

738
00:27:35,989 --> 00:27:38,091
We'd like to know
what you think.

739
00:27:38,091 --> 00:27:41,228
Send us an e-mail
at contact@seattlechannel.org

740
00:27:41,228 --> 00:27:44,097
or find us on social media.

741
00:27:44,097 --> 00:27:45,199
I'm Brian Callanan.

742
00:27:45,199 --> 00:27:46,767
Thank you for joining us
right here

743
00:27:46,767 --> 00:27:48,502
on "City Inside/Out"
on Seattle Channel.

744
00:27:48,502 --> 00:27:56,310
♪♪

745
00:27:56,310 --> 00:28:04,084
♪♪