Richmond crime-prevention manager lays out who to call for emergencies, mental-health crises and neighborhood problems
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Summary
Michelle Milam, Richmond Police Department crime prevention manager, summarized when to call 911 versus dispatch, introduced the forthcoming ROQ community crisis response team, described CORE and SOS Richmond services for unhoused residents, and listed city hotlines and reporting channels.
Michelle Milam, crime prevention manager with the Richmond Police Department, opened a community meeting by walking residents through the practical steps for reporting emergencies, nonemergencies and quality-of-life issues. She emphasized 911 for active emergencies and gave the city nonemergency dispatch number (233-1214) for concerns that need follow-up.
Why it matters: many residents told Milam they are unsure which agency handles specific problems — police, sheriff, Caltrans, BART, public works, or private owners — and misdirected reports can delay action. Milam’s briefing aimed to reduce that confusion by listing the right contacts and explaining what each agency will and will not do.
Milam outlined three types of response: traditional emergency response, social-service crisis response, and outreach/stabilization. “911 is for crimes in progress or immediate danger,” she said. For behavioral-health incidents that are not life-threatening, she gave the county crisis line number, (844) 844-5544, and said Richmond will soon provide a local community crisis-response team called ROQ (Reaching Out with Care and Kindness) that dispatch will route to appropriate calls. Milam said the ROQ team is newly trained and expected to launch soon and described CORE (Community Outreach Response and Engagement) and SOS Richmond as contracted social-service partners who provide outreach, hygiene and workforce services but do not perform abatement or enforcement.
Milam also provided practical hotlines and reporting channels: the fire prevention services division at (510) 307-8037 for fire-hazard questions and CERT training; the illegal-dumping hotline at (510) 215-3090; Republic Services customer service at (510) 262-7100 for bulky-item pickups (most homeowners are eligible for two free pickups per year); and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for air-quality complaints. She urged residents to file CSRs (customer service reports) with Caltrans for freeway/right-of-way issues so Caltrans can schedule work.
Milam stressed the difference between social-service outreach and abatement: "CORE, ROQ, A3 and SOS are not law enforcement — they provide supportive services, not abatements," she said, adding that public works or the private property owner handles abatement actions. She encouraged residents to contact neighborhood councils, join or start neighborhood watches, and attend training such as block captain training the department will offer next month.
The department also noted that online police reporting remains paused but that restoring nonviolent online reporting is a planned priority. Milam said the department will distribute a printed guide and the meeting recording on KCRT and urged residents to save the phone numbers provided.
Milam closed by asking residents to complete a forthcoming community survey to guide crime-prevention priorities and by saying the police chief is prioritizing staffing to restore consistent beat officers.
