ARU10
Program Goals
• Reduce police response to 911 calls related to behavioral health requests
• Deliver an appropriate and timely response to behavioral health calls that meet the individual’s needs
• Decrease the number of unnecessary emergency room visits • Bridge and facilitate service connections for individuals 2 Program Details
• 18-month pilot program Nov 2024 – May 2026
• Operating out of ACFD Fire Station 10
• Available Monday – Thursday, 8 am – 6 pm
• Staffing: 1 ACFD Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), 1 Nurse Practitioner, 2 Community Health Workers
• Access to (2) two beds at Eddie’s Place, a medically supported emergency shelter
3 Background
• Extensive research and training was conducted with San Leandro Police Department – 2 years of data to identify call types
• Initially the San Leandro Police Department Communications Center (dispatch) triaged all calls for service
• Calls that meet criteria for the ARU, and are screened for safety concerns, are forwarded by SLPD Dispatch to the Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center (ACRECC), and the unit is dispatched.
• Over time ARU has begun to allow direct calls in select circumstances (known clients, BART PD, Union Pacific Railroad)
4 Eligible Scenarios
• An individual is experiencing suicidal thoughts, thinking of harming themselves, is in emotional distress
• Families, neighbors or individuals are arguing or in need of mediation • An individual is known to, or there is a strong suspicion that they are, experiencing hallucinations, psychosis, or other significant mental health symptoms
• People are coming to the attention of others because of their behavior (e.g., shoplifting, panhandling, trespassing, yelling) and there is suspicion or knowledge that substance use, mental health issues, intellectual disabilities, autism, homelessness or other human service needs are driving this behavior 5 Exclusionary Criteria
• Gun on premises
• Physical Threats Made
• Current or Known History of Physical Violence
• Property Destruction
• Current Self-Harm
• Current Suicide Attempt
• Threatening Suicide with Plan and Weapon Means
6 Initial Call Data
• Average ARU response time is 9 minutes
• ARU is averaging over 8-10 calls per day
• Average time-on-task of approximately 27 minutes
• In the initial six months of service from team launch, the ARU answered:
• 625 9-1-1 calls
• Initiated 121 follow-up visits
• 68 on-view calls
• In the last three months the team has also fielded 58 Direct Calls 7 Initial Call Data: Call Types
8 Type of Call Nov
‘24
Dec
‘24
Jan
‘25
Feb
‘25
Mar
’25
Apr
‘25 Total % of Total
9-1-1 38 70 115 110 153 139 625 72%
Follow Up 23 28 23 11 17 19 121 14%
On-View 18 22 5 7 9 7 68 8%
Direct Call 0 0 0 12 27 19 58 7%
Total 79 120 143 140 206 184 872 100%
Response
Types
There is a strong trend towards increasing the number of calls that are co-responses with San Leandro PD over the course of the first two quarters as the team became more fully
integrated into the Emergency Response System.
9 Type of
Response
Nov
‘24
Dec
‘24
Jan
‘25
Feb
‘25
Mar
’25
Apr
‘25 Total % of
Total
Solo Response 59 82 76 82 93 136 528 47%
Co-Response
with SLPD or
SLPD Requested
ARU
6 43 68 56 71 73 333 28%
Required
Backup by SLPD 1 1 3 0 4 2 11 1%
Total 67 163 201 186 232 275 872 100% 0
20 40
60 80
100
120
140
160
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Response Type
Solo Co with SLPD Needed Backup by SLPD SLPD Requested ARU Eligibility
10 An analysis of the timing of most eligible calls, taken from the SLPD weekly report, suggests that most qualifying calls come in during the normal hours of ARU operation.
Total number of calls in the table below represents 24/7 call data (168 hours) from SLPD; the ARU only operates during 40 of those hours (24%).
Additionally, calls coded as fit for an ARU response are screened for safety, which helps explain why the team is excluded from responding on all calls, even when available.
Eligible Calls Nov
‘24
Dec
‘24
Jan
‘25
Feb
‘25
Mar
’25
Apr
‘25 Total % of Total
Out of Service 82 85 163 202 281 241 1054 50%
In Service -
Responded
38 74 115 110 120 165 622 30%
In Service with
Another Client
0 0 0 6 5 0 11 1%
Total 217 291 422 329 412 436 2107 100% 0
50 100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Eligible Calls
Total Out of Service In Service-Responded In Service with Another Client 11 Services were provided or referred in 237 of the 654 outcomes tracked in the first six months (36%).
Outcome of Client
Contact Made
Total % of Total
Client released 332 49%
Client transported 145 22%
Client refused 81 14%
Referred to another
service 92 12%
Law requested 8 1%
Medical requested 6 1%
Total 654 100.0%
Client Outcomes
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 November December January February March April
Client Outcome (November 2024 – April 2025)
Client Released Client Transported Referred to Another Service Client Refused PD Requested Medical Requested
12 Of the clients served, 85% had their immediate
needs met partially or fully by the unit at primary
contact.
Were the
Client’s needs
met?
Nov
'24
Dec
'24
Jan
‘25
Feb
‘25
Mar
’25
Apr
‘25 Total % of
Total
Fully 31 50 54 51 51 62 299 46%
Partially 31 34 36 37 50 69 257 39%
No 6 12 17 18 17 25 95 15%
Total 68 96 107 106 118 156 651 100%
• Examples of fully met include “transport to a desired location” and “diffused a situation”
• Examples of partially met include “moved along” and
“referrals”
• Examples of not met include client refusal of services.
Client Needs
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Client Needs Met on Initial Contact
Fully Partially No
13 Client Engagement
As part of the goal of bridging service connections for clients, the ARU team has made strides in cultivating relationships with the clients they serve. There were numerous clients in the last six months with whom the team had multiple interactions as summarized below. Interactions include text messages, phone calls, emails, and brief visits that do not warrant a full incident report.
Nov ‘24 Dec
‘24 Jan ‘25 Feb ‘25
Mar
’25 Apr ‘25 Total % of Total
Number of Unduplicated
Clients 416
Number of Progressive
Engagement Clients 22 28 40 43 39 38 210 56%
Number of Interactions 373 602 269 234 175 146 1799
14 Client
Interaction
Summary
0 100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Client Interaction Summary
Number of Progressive Engagement Clients
Number of Interactions
Linear (Number of Interactions)
Enhanced Care Management
• Medi-Cal members affiliated with Alameda Alliance or Kaiser • Must have complex medical or social needs
• Provides wraparound support beyond what standard Medi-Cal provides
• 7/8 petitions accepted
CARE Court
• Civil court program aimed at people with untreated
schizophrenia-spectrum or other psychotic disorders
• Offers community-based services (treatment, housing,
support), via either a voluntary CARE agreement or a
court-ordered CARE plan
• 9 direct petitions
• 12 family-assist petitions
Eddie’s Place
• 14 clients transported to Eddie’s Place November 2024 – April 2025
15 10 clients either still at the medically supported shelter, or on a path to longer-term care:
• 1 client discharged to an inpatient substance abuse program • 3 clients were “discharged” from an ARU bed to a medical respite stay through an authorization from Alameda Alliance and remain at Eddie’s Place to continue to work on medical and housing goals
• 1 client was referred to Section 8 housing
• 1 client was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled C-section • 4 clients remain at Eddie’s Place in an ARU designated bed Eddie’s Place
CARE Court Success Story – “Dana”
16 • Client in urgent crisis, facing eviction, serious mental health issues, history of psychiatric holds, and dangerous behavior
• ARU filed one of the first Care Court petitions on her behalf • Worked closely with the landlord, courts, and first responders to facilitate a compassionate eviction process
• Secured safe storage for belongings and a two-week motel stay as a short-term solution • Client developed a strong bond with ARU, refusing to be transported by anyone else • On the final day at the motel, client caused damage and was arrested • Care Court team acted quickly to secure a temporary conservatorship, enabling treatment at Villa Fairmont, a local mental health facility
• While in care, client stabilized and texted ARU: “Thank you for caring enough to help even when I didn’t want it.”
• Months later:
• Earned a pass to attend a family baptism
• Completed treatment and transitioned to Amber House for stable housing • Still in contact with ARU team
16 • Historically, client called 9-1-1 many times a day • Client was lonely and had worsening dementia, but adamantly refused services
• Client’s adult children refused to assist
• Negatively impacting Dispatchers and SLPD Officers
• Next phase included an exhaustive effort and collaboration between County EMS, Kaiser, County Adult Senior Services, SLPD Dispatch, San Leandro Human Services, ARU
• Multiple visits, consultations, meetings
• Today client is in the memory care unit of a local senior facility • Noticeable positive impact on SLPD dispatchers and officers Multi-agency Success Story – “Deborah”
17 18
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 35
40 45
50 General Support Transports Referrals Necessities Literature Phone Numbers NP Services Summary of Services Provided per Month
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
19 Summary of Transport Destination per Month
by Category
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 Behavioral Health
Services
Courtesy Shelter Legal Services
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
20 Shelter Connections
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Encampment
Alameda County Social Services
First Presbyterian Church Castro Valley
Home
Hotel
Willow Rock Center
Amber House
Ambassador Safe
Eddie's Place
21 Thank you