Richmond has taken a crucial step in developing its own non-police response program. Last week, the city posted the job application for the program manager for the city’s soon-to-be “Community Crisis Response Program,” or CCRP.
It’s a big job: the program manager will be responsible for managing the CCRP’s budget, training staff and coordinating with other community organizations. But, they’ll be taking guidance from a report made by Urban Strategies Council, a non-profit organization that has helped non-police response programs in Oakland and Antioch get off the ground.
According to the city’s website, interviews will take place at the end of January. Because the program is being housed within the Office of Neighborhood Safety, whoever is hired will be reporting to Sam Vaughn, he’s been a leader in innovative solutions to public safety in Richmond for more than a decade.
The details of the program are still up in the air. Organizers in Richmond say they want the CCRP to have a direct phone number, but they also want to train 911 dispatchers to recognize when a call may be appropriate to divert to CCRP. As for who will be on the teams and what powers they will have, that’s yet to be decided.
