City Council
February 7, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Dr. Reginald D. Freeman
City Administrator Chief, Oakland Fire Dept.
SUBJECT: Informational Report on MACRO
Program Operations and The
Advisory Board
DATE: January 26, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends The Oakland City Council Receive An Informational Report On The Progress Of The City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders Of Oakland (“MACRO”) Pilot Program And The Work Of The Advisory Board.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Under the direction of the Program Manager and the dedicated responders the MACRO pilot program, which was launched in April 2022, continues to meet the needs of the community with a compassionate care first response model grounded in empathy, service, and community. This informational report is an update on the current operational outcomes and an update on the role of the MACRO volunteer advisory board.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On November 17, 2022, Councilmember Treva Reid and Councilmember At Large and Public Safety Committee Chair Rebecca Kaplan made a request during Rules Committee to have the Public Safety Committee receive a bi-monthly informational report on the progress of the City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (“MACRO”) Pilot Program and the work of the advisory board.
The Fire Department and MACRO program leadership presented the following informational report and responded to related questions at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Monday, January 23, 2023.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Update on MACRO Operations
Jan 26, 2023
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report on MACRO Program Operations and The Advisory Board Date: January 26, 2023 Page 2
City Council
February 7, 2023
In December 2022, the MACRO responders in the field made 932 contacts with community members.
Of that total, 861 engagements were on-view responses, meaning that a MACRO crew self- dispatched to an incident based on an observed behavior, a prior incident response the crew was following, or a perceived health condition. Twenty-Eight (28) of the calls came through the 911 dispatch system and 43 were initiated by a community referral.
Types of MACRO Incident Responses for December 2022:
• Wellness Checks: 673
• Sleeper: 198
• Panhandling: 8
• Behavioral Concern: 68
• Public Indecency: 2
From November to December, there was a 18% decline in the total number of on-view responses, a 42% decline in the total number of 911 dispatched responses and a 59% increase in the total number of community referrals.
The number of responses initiated by community referrals may have grown because the MACRO team is now utilizing an email-based system where community members can notify the responders directly of issues and cases of concern. The program manager and responders continue to work with both police and fire dispatch centers, as well as responders in the field as part of an ongoing effort to promote and educate personnel about the program.
The complete MACRO Impact Report for December 2022 (Attachment A) is available on the MACRO page on the City website.
A significant event which demonstrated the unique value and role of MACRO occurred on December 13, 2022, when MACRO units responded to a 911 dispatched call from the Oakland Police Department (OPD) requesting assistance at a local grocery store. OPD reported that an individual was coming in and out of the Safeway grocery store and possibly stealing food. OPD reported to MACRO that if the individual went into the store one more time, OPD would arrest the individual for trespassing.
After MACRO received information from OPD, MACRO personnel contacted the individual who agreed to relocate. MACRO initiated a transport and released OPD from the incident. MACRO transported the individual to a local housing shelter, where the individual began to feel overwhelmed. MACRO then transported the individual to social services. The individual was grateful and shared positive sentiments towards the MACRO team. The individual was given two blankets and declined help with any other resources. Individual did not need any medical attention and the MACRO call was complete.
January 2023 Weather Event Response by MACRO
From January 1 to January 16, 2023, MACRO personnel went on 447 calls to support Oaklanders in need during the storm. Below are some statistics on the storm efforts:
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report on MACRO Program Operations and The Advisory Board Date: January 26, 2023 Page 3
City Council
February 7, 2023
• 68% of the 447 incidents were well-being checks. The other third were sleeper checks, with 18 incidents being behavioral concerns.
• Of those 447 incidents, about 10% or 48 of them were referred to local services, particularly St. Vincent DePaul.
• Of the 447 total incidents, 15 were dispatched by Fire Dispatch Center and 31 were from community referrals. The remaining 399 were on-views.
• Three quarters (75%) of the individuals served identified as men and the remaining quarter identified as women.
• Most (68%) of the individuals served are Black, 13% White, and 10% Latinx.
Update on the MACRO Advisory Board
After multiple initial meetings where the MACRO board was briefed on the status of the program and had a chance to ask questions and voice concerns, in October 2022, Fire Administration and MACRO program leadership provided a framework for the role and responsibilities of Advisory Board (Attachment B). The Advisory Board had a month to review the document and provided feedback and recommendations for changes to the framework at the meeting on December 13, 2022.
Earlier in the day, on December 13, the Fire Department and MACRO leadership hosted an informal meet and greet at the MACRO headquarters at the Fire Department training division, located at 250 Victory Court. During the in-person meet and greet, Advisory Board Members had a chance to directly engage with Chief Freeman, Program Manager Elliott Jones and approximately 12 of the MACRO responders. Later that evening, during the final Advisory Board Meeting of the year, the board approved the proposed framework, with minor language clarifications on specific elements.
Since the meeting in December, board members have signed on to assume leadership roles in key areas such as the development of social media content, reviewing job classifications to ensure they are in alignment with the recruitment goals, and members of the board also have spoken with members of the media on the status of the program at the request of the Fire Department Public Information Officer. Lastly, at least 8 of the 11 members of the board took the opportunity to participate in a ride-along with MACRO teams in the field, getting a firsthand look at the work being done.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with the acceptance of this report.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach is required for the acceptance of this report.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Informational Report on MACRO Program Operations and The Advisory Board Date: January 26, 2023 Page 4
City Council
February 7, 2023
COORDINATION
No coordination with other City departments was necessary for the completion of this report.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: There are no economic impacts related to this report.
Environmental: There are no environmental impacts related to this report.
Race & Equity: There are no race and equity components specific to the acceptance of this report.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends The Oakland City Council Receive An Informational Report On The Progress Of The City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders Of Oakland (“MACRO”) Pilot Program And The Work Of The Advisory Board.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Michael Hunt, Chief of Staff, Oakland Fire Department at [email protected] and Elliott Jones, MACRO Program Manager at [email protected].
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Reginald D. Freeman
Chief, Oakland Fire Dept.
Attachments (2):
A: December 2022 MACRO Impact Report
B: MACRO Advisory Board Framework