Community Crisis Responders

Diversified First Response

When a person calls 9-1-1 for help, the City of Seattle aims to send resources immediately and intervene effectively, to meet the needs identified and achieve optimal outcomes for all parties involved. To achieve these goals, the City of Seattle must iteratively design a public safety system capable of accurately identifying the types of emergencies that may occur and initially dispatching the appropriate first responders.

In the midst of the opioid epidemic, with a high prevalence of behavioral health crises leading to an increasing number of 9-1-1 call events, it is imperative the City of Seattle tailor and diversify its menu of first responder resources and interventions to continue meeting its stated goals.

Community Crisis Responders (CCR) assist Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers in responding to 9-1-1 call events involving persons experiencing crisis or behavioral health challenges, to streamline the process of connecting said persons to the appropriate service providers, while freeing up police officers and fire fighters to respond to higher priority calls. 

CCRs are qualified behavioral health professionals, trained to provide support and resources to people experiencing crises and behavioral health challenges. CCRs dispatch to calls in a marked CARE Crisis Responder vehicle, and typically respond to low-acuity mental health crisis calls that do not pose a threat of violence nor involve a medical emergency. As part of a dual dispatch model, CCRs are dispatched to calls at the same time as police, although in different vehicles.

CCRs are not law enforcement, will not exercise enforcement of any kind, and will only respond to calls that do not require enforcement of any kind.

CCRs are dispatched by the Seattle 9-1-1 Communications Center or directly radioed to assist by Seattle Police Department patrol officers, who ensure the situation is safe and CCRs can spend sufficient time co-facilitating community members to the appropriate service providers.

Geographic Scope

The CARE Community Crisis Responder team is currently comprised of six (6) Community Crisis Responders (CCR) and a manager, all of whom are behavioral health professionals. On June 26, 2024, Mayor Bruce Harrell introduced his proposal to expand the CARE CCR Team’s services citywide and increase its personnel. The proposed expansion will provide the community a total of twenty-four (24) CCRs, including three (3) CCR supervisors, and nine (9) additional responder vehicles. Already underway, the CCR Team will initially expand into East Precinct, where it will provide additional assistance for Seattle police officers and additional services for community members, before expanding into North Precinct and then South Precinct and Southwest Precinct.

Hours of Operation

CARE Community Crisis Responders (CCR) currently operate from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Contact CARE Community Crisis Responder Team

CARE Community Crisis Responders (CCR) are dispatched directly through the Seattle 9-1-1 Communications Center or directly radioed by Seattle Police Department patrol officers. There is no other line to request CCRs.

For general inquiries about the CARE CCR Team or the Seattle CARE Department, please email CARE_info@seattle.gov.