Bill de Blasio, Chirlane McCray
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks alongside his wife Chirlane McCray. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Bill de Blasio has feuded with the New York Police Department virtually since the day he took office. The socialist mayor’s war with New York’s Finest has frequently spilled out into the open, with cops turning their back on him and the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association president calling for his resignation in August.

The pandemic and subsequent calls to defund the police gave Hizzoner exactly the political cover he wanted earlier this year and de Blasio seized the opportunity, cutting the police force’s budget by a full $1 billion.

Combined with emptying the city’s jails and the state’s failed zero bail experiment, the Big Apple’s violent crime rate has soared. A complete surprise to everyone involved.

“We normally see a 30% increase in shootings in the summer. This year it was a 150%, 180% increase. It was just out of control.”

As of Sunday, there was a 33.2% increase in the number of murders compared to the same time last year, according to city crime statistics.

Who could have possibly predicted such an outcome?

Now, though, with less money going toward the boys (and girls) in blue and the Mayor’s deep desire for a kinder, gentler brand of law enforcement, the city will pilot a new program that will answer some 911 calls not with cops, but with mental health professionals.

From NBC New York:

For the first time in the city’s history, Mayor de Blasio announced Tuesday that the new mental health professionals and crisis workers will be the dispatched through 911, instead of the NYPD, to respond to mental health emergencies in two high-need communities — calling the pilot program a “major innovation.” …

“One in five New Yorkers struggle with a mental health condition. Now, more than ever, we must do everything we can to reach those people before crisis strikes,” de Blasio said. “For the first time in our city’s history, health responders will be the default responders for a person in crisis, making sure those struggling with mental illness receive the help they need.”

The new program will be beta tested in two “high-need” areas of the city. According to de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray,

“…we have retrained tens of thousands of NYPD officers in crisis intervention, helping them to better recognize signs of emotional distress and how to deescalate tense situations. With these mental health teams, we will test the model where we relieve police officers of those responsibilities, which in many cases, they should have never been asked to shoulder.”

What will happen if the person who’s exhibiting a mental health problem turns violent? “In those cases where police are needed to protect lives, they will also be a part of our response.”

From thecrimereport.org:

In the pilot program, most such calls will be answered by social workers and mental-health-crisis workers employed by the city. NYPD will be included in such responses only in cases where there is a clear threat of violence…

Exactly how that will be determined when 911 takes an emergency call isn’t really clear. Many of these instances are called in as domestic dispute or domestic violence calls. These are considered some of the most volatile and dangerous calls police deal with. Situations that start out as shouting matches can quickly escalate into very dangerous encounters, both for the civilians and the responders.

How will these mental health professionals deal with people who turn violent? Will they have the training and equipment to defend themselves and others? Will they just dial 911 again if things go south? What could possibly go wrong?

 

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156 COMMENTS

  1. Some of these mental health professionals are going to end up on a morgue slab, but then that’s the Leftard preference.

    • First responders should always be social workers, they are all leftards, and they should call the mental health professionals if such are needed. Actual police should be restricted to traffic and donut duty, until the social workers are all dead, then they can gradually, carefully respond when called by the mental health professionals, until they are also all dead. When these others complain about the danger and demand higher pay, give them big retirement promises, none will live to collect them anyway.

      The correct way to eliminate the police, at least in big cities, might actually work, should at least be tried. That is, announce a few months in advance that for a, say, 2 week period we’re going to put all cops on paid leave, along with judges and jailers, and all laws will be suspended during that time. Corpses will not even be investigated, if nobody picks them up the city will collect and cremate them. In other words, you will all be on your own, start preparing. After the 2 weeks, take a vote whether to continue without police. If all the actual criminals are dead, the answer might be yes!

      • Yep and the better hope they are represented by CSEA and not PEF if they have any hopes of not being hung out to dry.

    • There should be alternatives to armed police responding to every perceived infraction of rules. I read stories of some parent calling armed cops to deal with a child who is unruly, and the kid ends up shot. That’s so freaking stupid. Dude with a mental problem who doesn’t want to take his meds? Unless the prescription happens to be high velocity lead minerals, somehow, it doesn’t seem that armed policemen are the right people to call. A couple burly hospital orderlies makes far more sense.

      I have no idea where the crazy libbies might end up with this idea, but I’m not going to call armed men to deal with an unruly grandchild. A person who does probably doesn’t love their kids or grandkids to start with.

      • “I’m not going to call armed men to deal with an unruly grandchild.”

        You might if he/she/it was a 17 year old drug addict with a machete…

        The problem with responding to 911 calls is that no one really knows what the responder will end up confronting until they get there. Try as they may, and I have a good friend who makes his living as a 911 “operator”, it’s pretty difficult to trust an emotional/hyped up/outright lying/prankster/wtf ever person who calls 911. It can be anything from Armegedon to McDonald’s running out of McChicken Strips.

        I’m betting that after the second “mental health” social worker responds to a NYC 911 call the rest will call in sick quit, or move across the river. Those first two will be great headlines.

        • “The problem with responding to 911 calls is that no one really knows what the responder will end up confronting until they get there. ”

          C’mon man, give peace a chance.

    • Yup. Tune will change when their social workers start getting shot and stabbed by gentlemen who don’t feel like being deescalated right now.

      Their ideology will keep them company as their souls depart this plane of existence.

  3. Well good luck with this.

    When a social worker is in trouble and seconds count, et cetera.

    And then there’s this:
    One in five New Yorkers struggle with a mental health condition.
    Which, actually, explains a lot.

      • Apparently the number is real & that number is not just for New Yorkers but for all Americans. If you want to learn more check out the National Institute of Mental Health at http://www.nimh.nih.gov . Let me just state that mental illness covers a lot of conditions that are not normally associated with violence.

        • To You make me sick. Hush now adults are trying to have a conversation. Go join the others at the kiddie table.

          To Larry in Texas. Aren’t the crazy people already in charge or are they too busy commenting on post at TTAG?

      • What do you expect coming from a city full of useful idiots who dance in the streets after being told Jim Crow Gun Control joe biden is POTUS. As time marches on there appears to be people who cooked the election books and nervous democRats know it.

      • I’m guessing that mental health issues are a prerequisite to being an NYC resident, so I’m pretty sure that works out to 100 percent.

    • Visit CDC website. They make the claim that 1 in 5 Americans in general suffer from a mental illness. New York is no different from the rest of the country in that respect.

      And, you’ll forgive me if I say that the CDC is not to be trusted. They are, after all, the same people who claim that gun violence is an epidemic or some such nonsense. They help to feed the hoplophobe’s fear of guns.

    • “One in five New Yorkers struggle with a mental health condition.”

      And isn’t anyone here going to suggest the obvious?

      DiBlassio obviously belongs the ONE in five…

  4. One in five New Yorkers has a mental condition?! That explains a lot. And I’m assuming that the social workers and psychologists are part of that number, as most of them see shrinks on a regular basis. Anyway, if they lose a few, that would only improve the city’s statistics…

      • Ok STOP! Enough of calling them “Liberal” there is nothing Liberal about them.

        Liberal comes from Liberty which basically means freedom.

        Kinda stupid calling them a freedom party.

        They are Leftist (Communist, Socialist, Marxist, Fascist, Anarchists).

        • Old habits die hard. They called themselves liberals for decades because progressive had a negative connotation. Real liberals believed in limited government, yet the people that called themselves liberals believed in a never ending expansion of government, and they still do. You’re right. They aren’t liberals.

        • “real Liberals” failed to call out these word thieves. You are correct. They are socialist, progressive, communist. But real Liberals’ like to go long to get along. They are basically lazy. They want others (conservatives) to do the fighting for them.

        • On the flip side, the meaning of words change over time according to usage. The left claimed the word, so they can have it. It’s funny how the mask is off now. They’re finally to the point that some are willing to admit that they’re socialists, etc. Some democrat supporters even openly call themselves communists. It’s interesting to note that the previous FBI director and CIA director are “former” communists.

  5. “One in five New Yorkers struggle with a mental health condition. Now, more than ever, we must do everything we can to reach those people before crisis strikes,” de Blasio said.

    Data references please, Herr Mayor*…not that I’m calling you a baseless liar….

    From the daily news and their voting patterns I would say that it is more like four in five New Yorkers who have embraced a mental health condition.

    *Bill de Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. on May 8, 1961

      • I guess the mental health worker because after he/she/it dies from a knife attack the “person in crisis” is still going to get gunned down.

        • What will happen is the mental health workers will start to refuse to go to the call without armed police on site to cover them.

          NYC will have to fund an entirely new field unit of mental health workers and continue funding their full PD. And the taxpayers will get it in the neck, as usual.

          • “And the taxpayers will get it in the neck, as usual.”

            Actually, I don’t mind NYC taxpayers getting it in the neck. Another word for taxpayer is “voter”.

        • JWM nailed it. Within months, every 911 call that has a “mental health professional” responder will also have an armed police responder, if they don’t start with this policy to begin with.

          Truth be told, I don’t totally disagree with the idea that someone besides law enforcement responds to high risk situations. It’s the way it was presented that sickens me. (Criminalizing law enforcement and cutting budgets.)

      • If it involves a mental health worker at what point does it become protected health information or whatever HIPPA is calling it now?

        • I can just see NYC refusing to turn over their crime numbers to the FBI because that is protected HIPPA information. Clear for all to see why NYC cops are retiring if they can or quitting to start over somewhere else.

      • 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot or 450 grain slugs works even better. If your shotgun had a 3&1/2″ chamber length, you can unleash 54 pellets of #4 buckshot that will kill not just the mentally deranged subject but their family, neighbors and why witnesses. The coroner will rule that the fraud are assisted suicide by mental health professional. HIPPA will relieve them off any requirement for reporting this that any accountability.

    • whenever my rifleman arrives i grab a cup of coffee…
      any wlp pages come in handy, as does the man getting a grip on things.

      • “So true. Many of the posters on this site are insufferable.”

        If you don’t think violence is a solution, I invite you to send a letter to the Ambassador to the UN from the great nation of Carthage, asking the best places to visit.

    • So, Red Dog, maybe you could provide contact information for the operator to contact you to assist with dealing with the wigged-out crackhead. Maybe you can hold hands and sing kumbaya* while he slits your neck… didn’t see that coming, did you? I have a feeling that the maligned po-po would be appreciative of only cleaning up after that mess, instead of being on video that narrates their “unwarranted mag dump”. Get a fucking life somewhere in reality. * hope I didn’t misspell anything, I recall that you are quite the cunning linguist.

      • Shot an actual crackhead in the right lung back in 2008. Dead within ninety seconds. Keep typing tough on the Internet, Trumpseed.

        • Sure you did… one shot, bled out from a lungshot in ninety… then Mom told you to turn off the videogames and come upstairs for dinner.

        • “Shot an actual crackhead in the right lung back in 2008.”

          Yeah, cool story, bro.

          Post the link or it’s bullshit… 😉

    • Only solution to all situations? No, not all. But there ARE situations where no substitute is good enough.

  10. *911 what’s your emergency?
    -there’s a wild-eyed man in dirty underwear on my front lawn trying to make love to my birdbath.
    *don’t worry, we’ll dispatch a mental health professional immediately.
    -uhhhh, I think he’s high on meth and may be violent? Shouldn’t you send a cop?
    *I’m sorry sir but all we can dispatch are social workers.
    -better send an ambulance and coroner as well then….*click*

  11. They will find clipboards, shoes , and maybe reading glasses is all they will find left after a call. Some doped up mad man who benches 350 will end them.

  12. Here in Los Angeles, we’re facing the same issue of LE funds being diverted to “social injustice causes”, yet there’s also talk from our Dear Leaders of needing to possibly raise taxes to fund more firefighters and EMS personnel.

    While I’m not in favor of removing funding from our LE, our Leftist leaders apparently cannot think of the option of diverting those funds directly over to the LAFD. Nope. Too simple, because accounting maff is hard. Better to give payouts to the BLM-backed causes and whip the backs of taxpayers for more money for the coffers.

  13. I don’t support defunding police as a broad response to a specific case involving one set of officers, still on trial (Floyd).

    There have been cases of people calling 911 on their mentally disturbed family member because they were suicidal or violent, police show up, person in question attacks them or arms themselves, threatens someone, police shoot, and the 911 caller says “why did you kill them, they just needed help!”

    I do question whether it made sense to call 911 in the first place, I would assume most of these cases are on-going and not a sudden unexpected scenario, but there should be on-going treatment and help for those with mental illnesses and their families and escalation besides just calling police if things get difficult. And maybe responding to a known person like that with someone other than police would make sense, or in combination with police if the situation warrants it, rather than expecting the police to know what the person needs or how to deescalate it.

  16. They will send a social worker to the rapist gang bangers house who has repeat violent felonies. To your house they will send a SWAT team because you are a far right extremist.

    • Just as likely they’d give the rapist gang bangers badges, call them “The Peoples’ Social Justice Collective” or something like that, and send those to your house. But I guess we haven’t gotten that far yet.

  17. The good news is that any social situation that escalates to violence, especially when a social snowflake is injured, can be blamed on Trump in perpetuity. Trump may need to re-locate his primary residence to Florida.

      • “DJT already moved his residence to Florida”

        True, however….

        If he maintains a residence of any kind in NYC, the state will consider him to continue to be a resident of NYC, subject to all the taxes. (Just ask Rush). Thinking Trump will be very reluctant to move all his businesses to Florida.

        • Let’s see now, a 74-year-old multibillionaire, I’m guessing I would move to the Bahamas rather than pay *any* taxes to NY.

          • “Let’s see now, a 74-year-old multibillionaire, I’m guessing I would move to the Bahamas rather than pay *any* taxes to NY.”

            NY hounded Rush for 10 years, demanding he prove he did not, essentially, stay overnight anywhere in the state while claiming to be a resident of Florida. In Trump’s case, if he retains any business activity in NY, it will likely be even more difficult to “prove” he isn’t a resident.

  18. Whose going to explain to all the social workers families that it made sense for their loved one to die when the person committing suicide by cop now has to kill/injure/maim the social worker before accomplishing their goal?

    Or did the rocket scientists coming up with this not think about the fact that this wont change peoples actions, especially in the above situation.

    Lets all just have milk and cookies and not ponder the additional souls to be lost to this moronic legislation.

  19. I don’t understand what the issue is. Before I retired anytime a mental health worker was sent to a scene by their agency the first thing they did was call us for an LEO escort.

    • You are approaching this from a mindset where the department that was functional and I would assume mostly cooperative (guessing for your experiences). Imagine for a moment that neither department talks to each other and often utterly resents each other. Add on to that executive level leadership that is hostile to both and seeks to defund them while still expecting everything to run perfectly. Finally add in a population that has had legal consequences overwhelmingly removed for criminal behavior. Bake at 420 and enjoy the show.

      • SAFE, when I said, “I don’t understand what the issue is.” I was being facetious. I understand exactly what the issue is. The rest of my comment is spot on based on 20+ years experience. In all seriousness, a lot of those mental health workers are going to get hurt.

        • Oops usually better at catching that and yes I would expect a lot of injuries as most mental health staff are used to institutional, group home, or clinical settings not “active” field work. Either way glad I am not in that department and praying for a few I know that may be getting emails to go to the city soon.

        • Gad, I doubt it. Do you really think those vaunted “mental health professionals” are going to GO, when they are sent by such brilliant politicians as DeBlasio? I’d bet most times they’ll stop for a nice meal, then sit in the car and write a report about all they accomplished.

    • They are masking it. They think they can virtue signal their way into saying “hey, we changed this”. They will cover up like never before. These new “first responders” won’t wear body cams, there will be the same internal investigations they criticize police forces for using.

      Nothing changes except putting more “first responders” at risk. Little to no force will be used and what could have been a 1 hour deal will turn into weekly standoffs with hostages and demands to be met.

    • Noticed that too did you? They’ll probably have to forward the call to a Psych Doctor, like A Rad Tech sending images to a Radiologist. Response times should be about an hour! 😂

      • Too much room for error! They’ll need to have the 911 operator set up an appointment for the caller, preferably within a week or two, with a team of personnel from LE, EMS, Fire and rescue, mental health, and we might even want to skip ahead to include financial advisors and interior design experts. Financial advice is a RIGHT, you know. And it has been shown that suicides are more likely when colors are not correctly matched.

        • Larry:
          You reminded me of an old Jack Benny skit where he walks into the Beverly Hills Police Department (for whatever), and the receptionist asks him if he has an appointment. It got a good laugh then, but maybe not so much now.

    • @LifeSavor

      Yes Sir!

      Four-hour block of web-based “training” and the Dispatchers are good to go on diagnosing and routing the correct social workers to a scene…

      /sarc

  22. How many police interactions are due to mental health issues?
    We’ve been told for at least a generation that every criminal act is a result of some mental or emotional defect and not actually the fault of the perpetrator.

    Are we on the cusp on a new defined class of mental illnesses? But I thought defining classes was wrongthink?

    Just like some liberal Karen lets her “creative” “inspired” “intelligent” child run wild through the neighborhood shouldn’t we just let these poor victims of mental illness run free from oppressive boundaries and expectations?

  23. This is great news. It is a very good thing that California as a whole, Chicago Illinois, New York City, and Washington State as a whole got what they wanted. Socialism.

    And a movement to defund the police, in those areas. As well as Atlanta Georgia, Minneapolis, and other cities. These are all great and wonderful things. Our country is breaking apart and moving in different directions by region. It’s about time that this happened.

    The 2 million population city of San Francisco decided that every gun store will be regulated out of business. And no one showed up to protest to stop it. But they will show up to protest some type of sexual matter. The Second Amendment simply is not a priority for many of the states besides California.

    Yes innocent people will die. And I can’t help that. Those folks have made a decision that will eventually lead to the deaths of innocent people. But that’s what needs to happen. It might be harsh to say it. But it’s about time that harsh truthful things be said.

    If Libertarians liberals and the left who have demonized the police, they don’t want Cops around, fine. Hopefully the people who believe this actually live in these jurisdictions where the cops will be defunded.

    However I have noticed on TTAG, that some of the loudest voices for defunding the cops, and cop hatred, live hundreds or thousands of miles away from major metropolitan areas.

    • Or we live right in urban centers and are sick of the double standards and selectively enforced laws. Count me in on the “defund the police” train! If they won’t stop violent rioters from (illegally) trying to kill me but they will punish me for (legally) stopping them myself, then what good are they?

      • Can understand your point there but my area shut the protests down hard once they got past peaceful and are mostly even-handed. Not perfect by any means but still better than necessary evil so can’t support an across the board cut.

      • @RiCO

        You notice that many Departments / Bureaus / Agencies have seen a large number of Officers retiring early or quitting because of their City’s politics over the last eight months.

        Most civilian enforcement agencies are quasi-military. They have a defined rank hierarchy, chain of responsibility and a command / control structure. Most Police Chiefs are politically appointed, not elected, they, typically, take their “marching orders” from the Mayor or City Council. Please do not blame the individual Officers for their lack of engaging with the rioters, arsonists and muggers…that call is / was entirely on their top brass.

        • The phrase “I was just following orders” needs to apply to police chiefs and their officers. I like the police. But if they are refusing to support the Constitution and the bill of rights, Then they are just as bad, as the Japanese, Germans, and Italians during WW2.

          Libertarians claim they want less government. You get that when its acceptable to kill a thief on site. A Smaller court system. Fewer and smaller jails and prisons. You don’t need them because the criminals have been killed by their intended victims.

          But Libertarian’s don’t support having civilians killings thieves.

      • I have also noticed on TTAG that the same ones who hate the cops and support defunding the police. Are also the same ones who are against private property owners killing people, to protect their private property, from being burned,looted, destroyed, vandalized etc etc.

        I have called for the shooting of looters on sight. Since this crap started back in March. And I have noticed that I get very little support on that issue. From the so-called “Libertarian community”. This country of ours got this far because private property was sacrosanct. Something that no other Society in the world had for the general population. In Europe it was the king’s deer. The king’s land. And you were just a disarmed Serf.

        It’s why I say the Libertarians the Liberals and the left, really don’t believe in private property rights. Because this country was built on killing people if necessary to protect with you owned. It was the threat of immediate death that prevented thieves from stealing from other people.

        This allowed us as a Society to cooperate with each other and help each other to prosper through business interactions.

        In the world of the American Indian. It was acceptable to steal from each other. And it was this belief system that conflicted with the white settlers. Who were intolerant of Thieves.

        • Chris, it addressed the improvement from blasting holes for your peach trees, but did not have a section on how much improvement our nation would see if we used it on liberals. Had they not figured that out?

        • Technically, the government should have never been allowed or able to build nukes either. But truth be told, aside from that – everything they have we do have – if you have the money for it. Civilians build their stuff. Civilians train military on how to use their stuff. Civilians sell their stuff world wide. Either way, when SHTF, we’d just take it by brute force one way or another. Thousands may die in the process but once it’s obtained the playing field gets a little more level. I doubt it would come to that in modern days and it would be VERY hard to do so with so many watching and reporting (invading and manipulating) – but the only way to win against them is to adopt their tactics. Our government is straight up fucked up. So those explosives would be the least of my worries if a scenario that we have to think about using them against the government should present itself. Picture “The division” – but way worse. Hunger games worse. George Orwell worse. Scorched earth world war worse.

  25. Where have we seen this before? Withdraw police, allow violent crime to escalate then pander to voters’ fears with a repeat of Biden’s 1984+10 performance: Mass incarceration, seize firearms, lock up women who won’t testify against men and pour millions in uncontrolled grants to activists mascarading as “women’s advocates” AKA Crime Control Act, Weapons Ban and VAWA.

  26. This is what happens when you let politicians muck about in Law Enforcement Policy. Any professional lawman will tell you domestic calls are one of the most dangerous calls you can go on. Some of the biggest brawls I ever saw broke out on domestic calls. Not to mention having associates shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned. Just wait till one of those N.Y. Social Justice Mental Health Twinkies goes goes on a domestic Abuse call and a 200 Lb. Jack Hammer operating construction worker grabs him by the neck and starts banging the back of his favorite head against the wall. So much for getting in a circle and having an encounter group to work out their issues.

    • “Just wait till one of those N.Y. Social Justice Mental Health Twinkies…”

      Consider that stolen… 🙂

  27. So I have a mental health degree and license. I also have a boatload of guns and ammo. I use them at different times. I have done tons of emergency mental health, and cannot fathom NOT having police backup ON SITE.

  29. Feelings, when the bullet hits the bone they will know why we need police, not politicians!

  31. Are social service/mental health professionals lining up for these jobs? How many bodies will hit the floor before this foolish experiment fails? Then comes Version 2, “De-escalateors will have LE body guards that cant respond until the Shrink screams or bleeds. Hey, its a great buffer/speed bump that put sacrificial lambs between BGs and LE. Bodies will still hit the floor. How the hell is a Shrink going to seperate a domestic abuser from the victims home?

    This is the same horse shit as politicians who say LE should not shoot until you put them in LEs shoes with simunitions and force them to make critical decisions: when they apply their logic THEY DIE every time!

    I really hate to see human Lab Rats die on the Streets but that’s what it will take to end this foolishness. They’ll prolong it by issuing Vests and maybe some chem spray but it’s LE already knows what the end resultwill be and you do too.

    • Likely going to be a lot of civil servants weighing the “overtime opportunity” with having to actually face danger and not volunteering for the duty. I have my doubts current staffing that could be assigned would be adequate and union protection would prevent (at first) vaguely related staff from being reassigned involuntarily. So we will see how the call for volunteers goes and for most of the assignments going to NYC I have heard about there are few takers.

      • I’ll go, no problem! One million dollars a day, total legal immunity for any actions on my part while on duty, I can put in a week. Then it’s your turn. If you want to haggle, forget it.

  32. The calls these teams will handle will be few and far between. EMS often calls the police in even when it’s NOT a mental health issue because they don’t want to get randomly attacked. And we’re supposed to believe they’re going do deal with a crazy person alone?

    The thing about crazy people is that they’re unpredictable. They are not thinking rationally. They are not acting rationally. Most are probably non-violent but you can’t know which will be the violent one until it’s too late. Who is going to take that chance?

  33. NYC should totally and completely defund the Fire Department. After all, putting out fires started by BLM and looters is soooo racist. Defund the NYFD so the whole dump can burn to the ground.

  35. I mean, if police were taught deescalaction instead of mag dumps, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.

    Like it or not, there ARE a lot of calls that police respond to that they don’t need to. I’ve called for paramedics and got roided up cops first.

    They’re all amped up by academy instructors, thinking they’re going into a war zone, when the person in question really does just need an EMT or counselor.

  36. I was a medic for 10 years and I can tell you that the first thing we were taught was if the scene is not secure you back off and wait for PD. People are always saying “if only we got an ambulance instead of the police” but if I showed up at the scene in Philadelphia and saw a guy with a knife I’m moving back a block and waiting for PD. An ambulance showing up to the scene in Lancaster would have probably resulted in a dead EMT. People need to accept the reality that if someone loses touch with reality while threatening people with a deadly weapon it is not going to end well.

  37. I changed my mind, NYC should defund the police completely. Crime will drop to zero since there is no one to report it.

    • “Crime will drop to zero since there is no one to report it.”

      That might turn out to be true, but….

      Eliminate all law, and there is, immediately, zero crime, no exceptions.

        • “Wouldn’t there still be “littering”, for all the bodies left out on the street?”

          Littering is described in a law. In such circumstances, one would simply note the eternal resting place of the hallowed deceased.

          Or, more in line with the times, an environmentally friendly compost pile.

  38. This is a great idea. It will make the Libertarians happy. Just like when they where happy about the creation of the CHAZ/ CHOP.

  39. I think this is a great idea. It’s unfair to expect the police to do a multitude of jobs and if there are people better equipped/trained to handle those jobs then we should be directing public money towards them.

    Other than upsetting the LE fetishists in the gun community I don’t see why folks are so upset about this.

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