Durham’s Unarmed 911 Response Team Shows Early Signs of Success, Faces Funding and Scope Questions

Durham, North Carolina’s Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART) sends peer-support specialists and mental-health clinicians to certain 911 calls instead of police officers. Launched in 2022, the program now handles more than 25,000 calls citywide, including disputes, trespassing, panhandling and mental-health crises.

NPR

After the 2020 killing of George Floyd, many U.S. cities created alternative response models that dispatch unarmed personnel to non-violent emergencies. Durham’s effort grew out of a three-year data analysis that identified call types rarely ending in violence—trespassing, intoxication, welfare checks and specific mental-health incidents. Those categories became HEART’s focus.

NPR

During a recent Wednesday call, responders Rob Crisp, a peer-support specialist, and Allie Craft, a mental-health clinician, found a man on a strip-mall parking lot surrounded by garbage bags and a sofa. After a calm conversation, the team offered water, socks and a bag to gather his belongings, eventually moving his items to a vacant lot. In another call, HEART responders intervened in a family dispute; the daughter, Brittney, asked for help finding housing. The team could only offer a shelter bed, which she declined, highlighting limited resources for long-term solutions.

NPR

• HEART has responded to over 25,000 911 calls since 2022.

NPR

• A Duke University preliminary study linked the program to an increase in overall 911 calls, interpreted as growing public trust.

NPR

• A Research Triangle Institute (RTI) study found fewer arrests and rare police backup requests for HEART-handled calls.

NPR

• Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) data rank Durham among the top ten U.S. programs, with roughly 28 calls per 1,000 residents.

NPR

Ryan Smith, director of the Durham Community Safety Department, says the program “is already a success” when a social worker achieves the same outcome as a police officer.

NPR

Andrews voiced concerns that unarmed responders lack law-enforcement tactics and that the initiative was portrayed as an “ultra-uber-liberal idea” imposed on the city. She warned that protecting unarmed personnel could strain resources and that political opposition might hinder broader adoption.

NPR

Research on alternative response programs remains sparse. While Durham shows promising early metrics, a 2025 audit of New York City’s similar program revealed limited geographic coverage, and Baltimore’s 2025 investigation showed a 50 % drop in mental-health diversions despite rising call volume. Experts caution that call-volume data do not capture long-term outcomes or quality of assistance, and funding constraints limit the number of calls programs can safely handle.

NPR

• “Our notes say we got a trespasser on a business property. He has a bunch of belongings, and he's refusing to leave,” — Rob Crisp, peer-support specialist

NPR

• “Honestly, I would say if you can send a social worker to a call that you could send a law enforcement officer and you got the same results, then it's already a success,” — Ryan Smith, director of the Durham Community Safety Department

NPR

Durham’s Stabilization Services division, launched last year, seeks to connect callers with housing, medical and behavioral-health resources after the initial de-escalation.

NPR

---

NPR

*The article synthesizes reporting from NPR’s coverage of Durham’s HEART program, incorporating statements from city officials, researchers and program participants.*

NPR