Council votes to route mental-health co-response through Fire Department first despite objections

Member Gabriela Santiago Romero moved to coordinate Police, Fire and administration so that mental-health co-response would go through the Fire Department first; she called the approach a best practice intended to reduce harmful outcomes when police respond to behavioral-health calls.

The motion prompted substantive pushback. Pro Tem Coleman A. Young II and Member Angela Whitfield Callaway both objected, saying DPD has an established co-response program and training under its leadership and that transfers of responsibility should be carefully considered. Young and Callaway argued keeping the program within DPD — with social-worker partnerships and specialized units — is safer and more pragmatic given current operations.

After recorded objections, the clerk announced the result: with eight members present, the motion passed 6 yays and 2 nays. Members who supported the motion emphasized the council is at the early stages of planning and that final language will need to address coordination, training, safety protocols, and how 911 call routing would operate in practice.

Council direction: the item was placed into the closing resolution with language to be finalized; members asked staff to draft clearer language that explains operational responsibilities, escalation protocols, and metrics for success before any implementation steps are taken.

Quote: "It is a best practice to have these outside of the police system as a first response," Member Santiago Romero said during debate.

Next steps: finalize the closing-resolution language and return operational details and protocol responsibilities for council review before implementation.