Council committee reviews ordinance to codify CARE crisis responder role in city code

Chair Robert Kettle opened the discussion by asking central staff to summarize a draft ordinance that would update sections of the Seattle Municipal Code describing the CARE Department and the Community Crisis Responder Team (CCRT).

Tamaso Johnson of central staff said the CARE Department, created by ordinance in 2023 from the civilian 911 call center, now operates both the 911 Communications Center and a field-based CCRT. He summarized the draft as aiming to: acknowledge the CCRT as a core CARE function; define at a high level the CCR role and qualifications; set out methods for deployment (including 911 and lateral requests from SPD or Fire); and clarify administrative responsibilities, including that some diversion and outreach contracts moved from the Human Services Department to CARE effective January of this year. "The Community Crisis Responder Team grew from 24 staff in 2025 to 48," Johnson said.

Members asked a set of legal and operational questions. Councilmember Lin and others sought clarity on whether codifying CCR roles in the municipal code would change how CARE coordinates with Fire, King County behavioral health, 988, or other alternative-response programs; Johnson replied the ordinance is intended to reflect the current state of activations and relationships rather than prescribe granular operational rules. Councilmember Juarez pressed on the meaning of the word "accountability" in the proposed language and asked what specific oversight of contracts and services would look like; staff said some of that accountability already exists in law and that the ordinance aims to enshrine oversight and attention rather than create an immediate new enforcement regime.

A focal point of the discussion was whether the ordinance should call CCR staff "first responders." Juarez asked whether such language carries legal duties, liability or criminal-protection designations similar to those for police or firefighters; Johnson and the chair said this would be the first time CCR teams are described in the municipal code as first responders, that the Law Department had not flagged liability concerns in initial reviews, and that council offices would follow up to determine whether protections given to firefighters and sworn officers (for example, statutory assault-by-assault-on-first-responder penalties or other protections) should be extended to CCR staff.

The committee did not vote on the ordinance at this meeting. Members who supported codification argued that putting the CCR role in code signals that Seattle is serious about alternative response and creates a clearer standard for oversight; other members asked for additional language or follow-up motions to ensure staff receive appropriate legal protections and that contract oversight and performance measures are explicit. Chair Kettle directed staff to continue working with Council teams and Law on specific protections and accountability language and said the ordinance will return to committee for further consideration.