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Evanston mayor credits non‑police care team with reducing violent crime, cites 1,500+ responses
Summary
Mayor Daniel Biss told the 2025 State of the City address that Evanston’s care team — a non‑police crisis response unit housed in Parks and Recreation — has answered more than 1,500 calls since launching and that the city has seen a sharp drop in violent crime, including more than two years without a homicide.
Mayor Daniel D. Biss said at the Feb. 2025 State of the City address that Evanston’s care team — a non‑police crisis response group operating in the Parks and Recreation Department — has responded to “over 1,500 calls” since it began and has helped build trust with people experiencing repeated crises.
The care team, which Biss described as “not a police officer, but someone who may be skilled at de‑escalation,” was created after the mayor and City Council convened a Reimagining Public Safety Committee. Biss said the committee’s work led to policies that redirect some 911 calls away from armed officers to trained civilian responders who can connect individuals to housing, case management and other services.
“Eventually on that fortieth, fiftieth conversation, trust is established,” Biss said. “The person … has learned wait a second this person is to be trusted, this care team member is trying to help me, and if I listen and cooperate I may find a way to a roof over my head, the care that I need, eventually stable employment.”
Biss also said the city changed traffic‑stop priorities after the committee reviewed racial disparities in stop data. He said the city de‑emphasized equipment‑related stops so officers can focus on moving violations that pose greater public‑safety threats; he said about 83% of traffic enforcement is now related to moving violations.
The mayor credited local leadership — naming Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson and Police Chief Stewart — with implementing the approach. Biss noted Chief Stewart was named Police Chief of the Year by the Illinois Association of Police Chiefs and said violent crime “has plummeted” in Evanston; he added the city has gone “more than two years” without a homicide, which he framed as progress rather than a final victory.
Discussion and direction in the address emphasized maintaining the care team, continuing interdepartmental collaboration between Parks and Recreation and the Police Department, and monitoring racial‑equity outcomes from changes to traffic enforcement. No formal motions or council votes were taken during the address.
Supporters and city leaders said the program’s repeated engagements with individuals who have complex needs are the mechanism behind the team’s results; Biss urged continued investment and patience as relationships take time to develop.
