Alternative Responses to Policing Symposium

Join us as RTI hosts the Alternative Responses to Policing Symposium on September 21 and 22. The event will feature a multi-disciplinary group of federal, state, and city practitioners and policymakers. The Symposium will focus on critical issues surrounding the implementation of alternatives to police response strategies and how they can be effectively sustained and evaluated. 

Symposium Agenda

Thursday, September 21

10:00 - 10:10 Welcome and Introductions

10:10 - 10:50 Durham (NC) Community Safety Department Documentary
This session will include a viewing of the Arnold Ventures funded documentary highlighting the work of Durham’s (NC) recently formed Community Safety department which features their work in alternative response programs.

10:50 - 12:00 Looking Outside of the Police and the Role of Alternative Response Programs  

Focus of this panel will include a discussion on alternative response to policing and present a roadmap for agencies exploring or implementing alternative response models. The panel will highlight the Carolina Cohort of Cities project as well as highlight alternative response programs from agencies throughout the country. Representatives from agencies with alternative response programs will discuss program implementation and development, community engagement, challenges/wins/opportunities, and next steps for their programs.

12:00 - 1:15 Lunch (Breakouts)

1:15 - 2:30 Role of Emergency Communications and 311 in Alternative Responses

This panel will highlight the role of emergency communications, 311, and 988 in implementing alternative responses and will highlight programs from agencies throughout the country working in this space. Focus areas will include engaging and training emergency communicators for their role in alternative responses; discuss developing and implementing policies and practices for emergency communications and 311 for alternative response models.

2:30 - 3:45 Racial Equity and Accountability in Alternative Response Strategies

This panel will focus on accountability, equity, and transparency in alternative response models. The panel will discuss how equity can be addressed or potentially missed when developing alternative response models. Panelists will also discuss how programs, policies, and data systems for alternative response models are or can be established with a racial equity lens.

3:45 - 4:00 Closing Remarks for Day 1

Friday, September 22

9:00 - 9:05 Welcome for Day 2

9:05 - 10:20 Data Collection and Dissemination

This session will focus on data collection and dissemination. Discussions will feature means of collecting, prioritizing, and possible limitations with data collection as related to alternative response programs. The session will highlight data collection systems such as records management systems (ex. Julota) and how these systems interface with emergency communications systems, program staff, and other data collection mechanisms. The discussion will also highlight the review and analysis of crisis and mental health related calls for service and the implementation of pilot programs, the role of 988 and data standardization.

10:20 - 10:30 Break

10:30 - 11:30 Engaging Community Partners and Stakeholders

This panel will focus on engaging community partners and stakeholders in alternative response programs and how these programs collaborate with their community partners. The session will highlight how community partners and stakeholders were engaged for the development and sustainability of alternative response programs.

11:30 - 12:30 What's Next in Alternative Response Strategies

Focus on funding and sustaining alternative response programs. The panel will also focus on local, state, and federal barriers to implementing alternative response strategies and how to overcome them.

12:30 Closing Remarks for Day 2