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Seattle Care department seeks staff and dispatch expansion to cover more 911 calls
Summary
Seattle’s Care department proposed adding 49 positions and expanding responder hours as part of a budget request, while urging a dispatch MOU with Seattle Police to allow solo dispatch and better 911 routing. Council members pressed for data, case‑management links and clearer outcomes.
Seattle’s Care department chief, Amy Barton, told the City Council’s Select Budget Committee on Sept. 29 that the department needs 49 new positions and expanded dispatch capacity to respond to the rising number of 911 calls tied to mental health, homelessness and addiction.
Barton said the budget request would add 31 responders to operate citywide 20 hours a day, 15 staff for Seattle 911 to reduce wait times, and other business supports. “We have tested and proven the safety and the utility of dispatching care responders to 911 calls,” Barton said. She added that many 911 calls rarely result in law‑enforcement action and argued that unarmed community responders can deliver the…
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