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Taking the Call: A National Conference Exploring Innovative Community Responder Models 

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Taking the Call is a two-day national conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the University of Cincinnati, to explore innovative community responder models.
 
When: Wednesday, October 20 – Thursday, October 21, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
 
Description: The conference will explore how communities across the U.S. are launching new responses to ensure that emergency calls receive the appropriate response. By diverting calls involving mental health or substance use crises, homelessness, and other situation that don’t require traditional law enforcement, the community responder model can improve community health, lessen the burden on law enforcement, and reduce unnecessary justice system contact.
 
Who Should Attend? Interested participants can register either as an individual or a team. A team can be three to seven members and must include a behavioral health and public safety official. Teams will have access to free consultation during the event, as well as ongoing consultation to support their continued planning efforts.