Commissioners discuss, then defer, resolution urging diversion for unhoused people instead of arrest

The IRPS committee discussed a proposed resolution asking the DeKalb County Police Department to develop a diversion policy for encounters with unhoused people that emphasizes alternatives to arrest and jailing. After extended discussion, the committee voted to defer the resolution for 30 days so county attorneys can incorporate suggested edits and prepare a resource guide, then send the draft to municipalities.

Supporters said the resolution responds to recent Supreme Court guidance and seeks to confirm local practice that officers should consider alternatives to arrest when appropriate, such as connecting people to crisis services. The police chief and county staff said DeKalb County already uses several diversion mechanisms: a community policing unit that provides outreach and care kits, a full-time mobile crisis unit with four dual-response teams paired with behavioral-health clinicians (Claritel), and the use of involuntary committal procedures referenced in the meeting as "10-13" when clinically appropriate.

Speakers discussed constraints: commissioners and the chief noted that being unhoused is not a crime, that private property owners must initiate prosecution for trespass, and that courts sometimes provide mandates that make treatment possible. Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson and others urged inclusion of a resource guide for municipalities and ordinary residents. One commissioner asked that the final resolution affirm that DeKalb County already uses diversion mechanisms and, if adopted, that it be shared with the county’s municipalities to encourage consistent practice. The motion to defer passed by voice vote; the committee asked county attorneys to prepare revisions within 30 days.