Regional Crisis Response Agency briefs Kirkland council on growth, dispatch gaps and state policy wins

Brooke Bittner, executive director of the Regional Crisis Response Agency, briefed the Kirkland City Council on May 6 about RACER’s first‑responder model, program data from 2024 and near‑term operational priorities.

Nut graf: RACER, an interlocal partnership of five North and East King County cities with administrative sponsorship by the City of Kirkland, provides civilian crisis responders who attach to in‑progress 9‑1‑1 calls alongside police and fire. Bittner said RACER handled roughly 4,700 encounters in 2024 across the region and 1,800 encounters in Kirkland specifically, and urged continued local support as state policy recognizes non‑sworn crisis response as part of public safety.

Bittner told the council RACER was created by an interlocal agreement and that Kirkland serves as the fiscal and administrative sponsor; RACER staff are City of Kirkland employees. “What our crisis responders are doing out in the field is responding to in‑progress 9‑1‑1 calls in their fleet vehicles,” Bittner said, adding the team focuses on assessment, de‑escalation and referrals to community care. She described the responders as coming from emergency departments, jails and other crisis settings and said turnover has been low.

Data and operational gaps: Bittner said about half of RACER’s encounters were “in‑progress 9‑1‑1” responses in 2024, roughly 40% were follow‑ups and about 12% were officer referrals — the latter category grows when a RACER unit is not available or is already deployed. She and council members discussed one recurring operational barrier: disparate radio/disptach systems across jurisdictions. RACER can view Norcom’s computer‑aided dispatch aggregator, but Shoreline and Kenmore use King County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, and the differing “air” systems complicate fast cross‑deployment.

Dispatch and transit questions: Council members asked whether transit operators’ panic‑button calls route to Metro Transit dispatch and then to the sheriff, which can add substantial lag. Deputy Chief St. Jean confirmed Metro’s current flow can add delay and that Metro is discussing alternatives with labor; Bittner said RACER has opened talks with transit but that Metro would not be a first responder under current arrangements.

Schools, MIH and continuity of care: Councilors asked whether RACER is responding to school calls. Bittner and Deputy Chief St. Jean said RACER attaches to some school calls and works closely with school resource officers and Kirkland’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) program for follow‑up. St. Jean said the presence of RACER in the police building facilitates cross‑training and handoffs and described cases where officers staged nearby while a crisis responder led de‑escalation.

Funding, sustainability and state policy: Bittner said most RACER funding is local or state, with a small federal slice, and that the executive board and fiscal agent are modeling exposure if federal funding changes. She highlighted new Washington state legislation — House Bill 1811 — as a recognition that “public safety equals police, fire, EMS and social worker/crisis responder,” and said RACER’s interlocal model helped inform lawmakers. Councilors praised the program and asked staff to continue work on radio interoperability, Norcom strategic planning and shared data systems.

Ending: Bittner invited councilors to ride along and to help recruit community advisory group members with lived experience. She asked the council to keep supporting cross‑agency partnerships while RACER works to increase direct 9‑1‑1 dispatching and sustain program funding.