Silver Lake’s Senior Lead Officer Jose Ramirez reports that the Crisis and Incident through
Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) program has expanded to include the Northeast,
Rampart, Newton, and Hollenbeck divisions of LAPD. The CIRCLE program was launched
as a pilot program in January 2022 in Hollywood and Central divisions and provides an
alternative response to non-emergency 911 calls that involve people experiencing
homelessness (PEH), such as non-urgent 911 and 877-ASK-LAPD calls related to
unhoused individuals. The program’s Crisis Response Teams (CRTs) are composed of
three members, a mental or behavioral health clinician and two crisis or homeless
outreach practitioners. CIRCLE responders are not armed and do not perform law
enforcement duties or responsibilities. CIRCLE is not intended or equipped to respond to
violent situations or life-threatening emergencies. The City of Los Angeles launched the
pilot program in January 2022. As of November 2022, there have been over 2,300
911/877-ASK-LAPD calls diverted and managed by CIRCLE and over 12,400 incidents
proactively addressed by CIRCLE teams.
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