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Tulsa describes co‑response teams (ART 1, ART 2) and special services docket as alternatives to traditional arrest for low‑level offenses
Summary
City officials outlined ART 1 and ART 2 co‑response teams and the special services docket that connect people in crisis to medical, mental‑health and social services, and reported favorable recidivism data for program graduates.
City presenters described Alternate Response Teams (ART 1 and ART 2) and the special services docket as city programs that divert certain low‑level misdemeanor cases and crisis calls away from traditional arrest and prosecution and toward social services and treatment.
ART 1 was described as a co‑response unit staffed by a firefighter paramedic trained in crisis intervention and a COPES clinician from Family & Children’s Services; the unit responds to mental and behavioral health crises and to frequent 911 callers. ART 2 was described as staffed by two community paramedicine‑trained firefighter paramedics who respond to medical calls and do outreach and wellness checks in the downtown IDL area.
Presenters said about 20% of ART 1 responses involve people who are unhoused. The special services docket was described as a part of the municipal justice process for low‑level offenses that connects participants to clinical case management: presenters said fines and costs are suspended while participants are enrolled and that, on graduation, open charges are dismissed and some offenses can be expunged.
The presentation cited past data showing roughly 90% of graduates had no new charges within six months and about 75% had no new charges after a year. The city said the original goal was to serve 60 individuals and that intake has exceeded that goal.
