City presents proposed unarmed “Roots” responder team: supervisor plus two two‑person teams, $800K annual cost, phased start requested

City staff, the Community Justice Center and the Ithaca Police Department presented a proposed community responder program on Sept. 16 that would add a small unarmed response unit to the city’s public-safety toolbox. The draft program — presented under the working name Roots (Responders Offering Outreach, Trust and Support) — would deploy trained civilian responders to low-acuity, nonviolent calls, perform proactive outreach, and make warm handoffs to social-service providers.

What was proposed: The staff-recommended, medium-sized model would create one team supervisor and four community responders, operating in two overlapping shifts so two two‑person teams are available during peak hours. Staff estimated an operating cost of roughly $800,000 per year for the full model; using funds council had previously reserved for reimagining public safety (about $757,000), the administration proposed a phased start with a 2026 over‑target budget request of about $416,000.

Why it matters: City data and outside models show a large share of police calls are service-oriented or nonviolent. Staff presented analysis indicating that a large majority of calls categorized as “low risk” remained low risk after officer response; the proposed team is meant to provide an alternative first responder for many such calls, reduce disproportionate minority contact with the criminal justice system and increase connections to housing, health and social services.

Program structure and supports: Staff described the proposed team as city employees integrated into 911 dispatch and IPD’s response framework. The supervisor would coordinate with dispatch, IPD and partner agencies; community responders would conduct outreach, handle scene transfers when IPD clears a nonviolent incident and make warm handoffs to providers. Staff emphasized three supporting programs: a peer‑led outreach program run by a community agency, an expanded violence-prevention initiative, and a 2‑1‑1 “callback” system so responders can request a scheduled outreach call from the Human Services Coalition’s 2‑1‑1 staff.

Examples and evidence: Presenters drew on national examples from Durham (HEART), Albuquerque (Community Safety), Denver (STAR) and Olympia (Familiar Faces). Staff cited Durham’s reported low rates of calls for police backup and Albuquerque’s reported call diversions as evidence these models can work when integrated into dispatch and supported by local services.

Questions, concerns and council reaction: Council members asked about overlap with existing programs (LEAD, the CARE team, the Community Outreach Worker program and services through GIAC and Reach), whether the city could reassign or centralize existing programs instead of adding staff, and whether the new unit would truly reduce police overtime. Presenters said the Roots team is intended to complement — not replace — existing programs and that a phased rollout, shared data collection and strong coordination with existing service providers are essential.

Budget and next steps: Staff asked council to indicate whether it supported the medium-sized, phased model as an over‑target request for the 2026 budget cycle. Presenters proposed creating an action team of community and agency partners to work on hiring, training, peer programming and data metrics if council approves a budget request. The meeting included no final vote to create the unit; council members suggested additional community engagement and requested an organogram showing how the new positions would coordinate with existing agencies.

Ending: Presenters and several council members said they hoped to proceed with a carefully phased start if council chooses to fund the program in 2026, with monthly and quarterly metrics and ongoing community and interagency review.