{
  "id": 10770426,
  "title": "Mobile crisis response programs get new measures of their impact on police calls",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/mobile-crisis-response-programs-get-new-measures-of-their-impact-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T20:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mobile-crisis-response-impact-police.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Communities across the nation are grappling with the role of mobile crisis response programs in emergency situations. These programs typically handle calls involving mental health issues, substance abuse, welfare checks, and similar non-law enforcement matters. Until now, there has been no standardized method to gauge how much these unarmed teams, which prioritize de-escalation, reduce police call volumes. University of Oregon researchers have now devised a way to assess this impact. In a study published in Science Advances, they outline three standardized measures to quantify the effect of these programs. Using data from the longstanding CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon, the researchers found that CAHOOTS directly diverted 18% of calls from Eugene police, and when accounting for calls potentially prevented from entering the emergency response system, the impact rises to 23%. CAHOOTS, the longest-running mobile crisis program in the U.S., dispatches two-person teams comprising a crisis worker and a medic to address mental health crises, substance use issues, and welfare checks. The city of Eugene discontinued funding for CAHOOTS in 2025, though the program continues in neighboring Springfield. The researchers emphasize that their framework allows communities to measure their specific programs' impact within their emergency response systems, providing crucial evidence for resource allocation decisions.",
  "summary": "Communities across the country are debating the role mobile crisis response programs can play in emergency response. These programs typically take calls from 911 dispatchers involving mental health, substance use, welfare checks and other situations that do not require a law enforcement response.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}