Don't Call The Cops — Call CAHOOTS

Kate Archer Kent

August 13, 2020 |

Wisconsin Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Eugene, Oregon

In Eugene and Springfield, highly trained, unarmed mobile crisis response teams get dispatched by their cities' public-safety 911 systems to behavioral-health crises that do not require a police response. The 24/7 service, now in its 32nd year in Eugene, saves tens of millions of dollars per year by diverting cases from the criminal justice system and emergency-room care while defusing potentially violent interactions and getting people the care they need rather than the care imposed on them.

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Youngstown, Ohio, Lost Its Only Paper. A 'Zombie' News Site Wants To Fill The Void

Mark Oprea

August 10, 2020 |

NPR |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Youngstown, Ohio

Mahoning Matters formed as a news site with laid-off veterans of the Youngstown Vindicator, filling part of a void in local accountability journalism in what is now the largest U.S. city without a seven-day print newspaper. Its funder, The Compass Experiment, set the startup on a three-year trajectory toward self-sustainability, an experiment that has yet to play out. Meantime, Compass successfully recruited a tiny band of Vindicator alumni, whose first stories have included unmasking the public official whose sexual misconduct compromised the management of a local police department.

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Bad Death Notifications are Affecting Families; Can They be Fixed?

Jazzlyn Johnson

August 07, 2020 |

The Community Voice |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

The nationwide non-profit Trauma Intervention Programs Inc. uses volunteers trained in "compassionate notifications" – informing families of loved ones' deaths, a task that often is bungled by untrained, rushed first responders and hospital workers. In more than 250 communities, TIP volunteers can be dispatched simultaneously with fire and police teams. They provide counseling and assist families long after first responders have left. Advocates say their role can mend police-community relations in places like Kansas City, which lacks a formal protocol and resources for handling notifications.

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Scotland's 'Navigators' Transform Lives in the Emergency Room

Alasdair Lane

August 07, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Scotland, Glasgow

In Scotland, the Navigators program performs violence interruption work in seven hospitals, at the bedside of victims of violence, with counseling and connections to social services to nudge people into safer lifestyles. Because Navigators act independently of the police and other authority figures, and because their service follows clients into the community, they are able to win the cooperation of 65-90% of those they approach. A survey of 100 clients showed 23% fewer emergency room visits in the year after cooperating with the program. Navigators started after violence in Scotland raged in 2005.

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ASU study: 'Team Kids' may improve perception of police through cop-kid activities

Anthony Wallace

August 06, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Compton, California

About 170,000 schoolchildren in four states have participated in the Team Kids Challenge, which promotes healthier relations between youth and police by pairing them in charity work to solicit and distribute donations. Based on research showing Black and Latinx youth distrust police much more than white children do, the program was found in a new study to significantly improve kids' perceptions of police. The study did not measure how long this effect lasts or why it fails, when it does. A researcher also cautions that real trust in police must be earned through good policing.

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The surprising way to stop shootings that doesn't involve more cops and arrests

Samantha Michaels

July 31, 2020 |

Mother Jones |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

After two failed attempts, Oakland Ceasefire retooled its approach and since 2013 has been a significant factor in lowering homicides and nonfatal shootings. The program, used in various ways in many cities, identifies young men at high risk of getting shot or shooting others and then offers them life coaching and social services to keep them out of trouble. By de-emphasizing the role of police, pinpointing those most in need of help, boosting community involvement, and forming deeper personal relationships, the program is credited with a 32% reduction in gun homicides over a six-year study.

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Rayuwa Da Korona: How two local radio stations are responding to COVID-19 in Kano State

el-Hamza Misbahu

July 21, 2020 |

Nigeria Health Watch |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Kano

Arewa Radio and Freedom Radio, two stations with large audiences in Kano State, actively combat misinformation and false rumors about the coronavirus. The stations run programming that builds trust and confidence between the public and health officials. They engage local religious leaders, who are very influential in the area, provide forums for listeners to ask questions of experts, and air programming in local languages with titles such as “Demystifying COVID-19” and “Eradicating COVID-19." Although they try to make programming widely accessible, some want content available online and in infographic form.

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Bankruptcy forced this California city to defund police. Here's how it changed public safety

Anita Chabria

July 13, 2020 |

Los Angeles Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Stockton, California

Since filing for bankruptcy in 2012, at a time of high unemployment, spiking homicide rates, and deep alienation of the public from its police, Stockton, California has served as an experiment in involuntarily defunding of a police department. The city’s police chief championed a rethinking of policing’s role, seeking community partnerships with a police force whose ranks had been reduced to one of the lowest per-capita in the U.S. Serious problems remain, but public trust is up, crime is down, and homicides are solved at a much higher rate than in most cities.

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Could This City Hold the Key to the Future of Policing in America?

Joseph Goldstein Kevin Armstrong

July 12, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

Although driven by financial desperation and a desire to break a union, Camden, New Jersey’s decision to dismantle its police department and form a new one focused more on limiting its use of force has paid off in better community relations and arguably a role in reducing the city’s violence. Its approach is in high demand by other cities facing the same problems Camden confronted. At the same time, the reconstituted police force is faulted by critics for relying on intrusive surveillance and making racially disparate arrests for minor offenses.

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The Latino Task Force emerges to take on COVID-19

Lydia Chavez

July 10, 2020 |

Mission Local |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

The Latino Task Force emerged in response to Covid-19 and has effectively provided services to the Mission District’s Latinx community. Formed by longtime grassroots activists turned influential community leaders, the Task Force and its volunteers provide Spanish-language information, food aid, and funds for out of work or sick residents. They also run the Hub, a physical location where, among other services, residents can get help applying for assistance. While information quickly becomes out of date and individuals' needs change, the Task Force has successfully listened to and responded to community needs.

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