LYNN — Members of the police department and the Racial Justice Coalition have found common ground on what the city’s unarmed crisis-response team should prioritize.
Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy, Deputy Chief Michael Vail, Capt. Mark O’Toole and Lt. Michael Kmiec met with Prevent the Cycle President Adriana Paz and the Rev. Bernadette Hickman-Maynard on Thursday afternoon to hear questions and concerns on how the crisis-response team, the All Lynn Emergency Response Team (ALERT), would be implemented.
Members of the New Lynn Coalition and Mayor Jared Nicholson were also present.
Paz said the two groups agreed safety is a priority and the Lynn Police Department (LPD) would be a resource to help ALERT. She said the meeting was an opportunity for the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition (LRJC) to understand their perspective.
“It wasn’t a negotiation meeting; it was a chance to listen,” Paz said. “When it comes to safety, we are all looking at other models and how they address safety.”
Another area the two groups agree upon is the handling of dispatch calls. Paz said they acknowledged the crisis-response team must have specific dispatch calls and that it would differ from police calls.
“We are also working together on figuring out if ALERT would have its department and call center,” Paz said. “What the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition wants is for this to be independent of the police for non-violent crises but still have the LPD as a valuable resource.”
Reddy said the meeting was productive and he supports ALERT. He agreed with Paz that the task force should respond to non-violent crises, but said the team should coordinate and cooperate with the LPD and the Lynn Fire Department.
“As we’ve said throughout this process, we believe that there is a place for an unarmed crisis team in the city of Lynn to enhance the response to individuals with mental-health issues, substance-use disorder, and homelessness,” Reddy said. “We welcome the opportunity to involve additional clinicians and other professionals in our efforts to address the needs of those vulnerable populations.”
The two groups will be holding more meetings in the future.
ALERT is an initiative that started during the administration of former Mayor Thomas M. McGee. The team’s job would be to respond to non-violent situations by employing crisis-response workers in social work, emergency-medical assistance and de-escalation.
The City Council approved a $500,000 line item in the fiscal year 2022 to establish the team. A request for proposals (RFP) for a consulting firm on how ALERT would be implemented was recently submitted by the city.
Nicholson said the meeting was an important step forward for both groups and ALERT. He said that Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Officer Faustina Cuevas helped put these meetings together and said everyone involved wants ALERT to succeed.
“I think there are a lot of folks who have stakes in this,” Nicholson said. “I think the LPD have shown real participation to be a part of the solution. I am committed to holding this process and moving forward to address long-standing issues.”
