Council to consider a resolution to examine response to mental health-related 911 and 311 calls

One item on the hefty agenda for the first regular City Council meeting of 2025 will explore how the city responds to mental health-related incidents. This resolution, authored by Council Member Chito Vela, directs the city manager to prepare a report and recommendations on responses to mental health-related 911 and 311 calls and service requests.

The resolution specifies that the report will examine both “police and non-police responses” to these calls. The data and related policy recommendations will be shared with the Public Safety Committee by the end of April, allowing time for Council and city staff to consider the findings during the budget cycle for Fiscal Year 2026.

“Right now, we have a rare moment of complete agreement from all stakeholders – police officers, city staff, mental health professionals and community advocates – that there is a better way to respond to mental health needs. The Officer Taylor case highlighted the challenges of addressing mental health crises through traditional police responses and emphasized the need for alternative approaches,” Vela told the Austin Monitor, referring to the 2019 APD shooting of a mentally ill man who was holding a knife. “Shifting appropriate mental health-related calls to trained professionals will ensure individuals in crisis receive the specialized care they need, while allowing officers to focus on core law enforcement priorities.”

The resolution highlights current city efforts to approach public safety from a more holistic, system-oriented lens, specifically when it comes to mental health. These initiatives have included the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC), the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (EMCOT) and the expansion of mental health services at the city’s 911 call centers.

Vela’s resolution recommends that the report analyze “information, data, policies, and historical context and trends” related to mental health calls in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The report may include data on call diversion to mental health experts that did not lead to a police response, joint responses involving both APD and partners like EMCOT, plus total police hours devoted to mental health-related issues. The report may also examine scenarios where mental health workers were requested but were not available.

Notably, the resolution calls for a comparison of call outcomes when police officers, mental health workers or both were deployed. It also requests data on APD’s mental health-related cadet curriculum, the number of current APD officers with mental health-specific certifications or trainings, and APD’s departmental policies on mental health-related calls.

The policy recommendations included with the report would center on improving the city’s mental health response, medical/crisis intervention training for city staff and potential funding sources.

Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes proposed an amendment to Vela’s resolution via the City Council Message Board on Friday. Fuentes’ amendment calls for additional data on response times for mental health calls, a breakdown of caller demographics, percentages of frequent callers requesting mental health services versus one-time callers, and a comparison of Austin’s approach to models implemented by peer cities.

The amendment also directs city staff to engage with stakeholders when forming the policy recommendations.

“I’m proud to support this initiative, which takes a holistic approach to public safety by exploring proven alternative response models,” Fuentes told the Monitor. “Comparing national best practices and assessing costs will make sure we prioritize the most effective solutions. By investing in compassionate, data-driven approaches, we can build a robust public safety system that reflects our commitment to treating all Austinites with dignity and care.”

Council is slated to approve the resolution, with Fuentes’ amendment, on Thursday.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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