Independent evaluation finds Dayton’s Mediation Response Unit operating as intended, highlights need for longer-term social supports

Dr. Jeanne Zimmer presented an independent evaluation of Dayton’s Mediation Response Unit (MRU) to the City Commission, saying the program “operates as designed” and is well integrated into the city’s public‑safety system. The evaluation, funded through a grant from the American Arbitration Association Foundation, used mixed qualitative and quantitative methods and identified early, meaningful outcomes while recommending continued monitoring.

The evaluation highlighted both breadth and growth of MRU activity: staff said a dashboard showing case locations demonstrates citywide coverage and that increases in staffing and hours corresponded with more case activity. Dr. Zimmer and MRU staff noted a particularly large rise in landlord‑tenant calls, which the evaluation quantified as an increase of more than 1,000 percent compared with early periods.

“Whether it’s the community, neighborhood groups, businesses, participants, partners, both internal and external, police and dispatch, overwhelmingly the response is positive about the MRU,” Dr. Zimmer said. She added that the MRU’s placement with the mediation center and its relationships with police and dispatch are uncommon and a contributor to its success.

MRU coordinator Michelle Zaremba told commissioners the evaluation was supported by a grant and structured as an ongoing, two‑year commitment to allow continued study. “We received a grant from the American Arbitration Association Foundation to hire Dr. Zimmer for this work,” Zaremba said, describing plans to continue evaluation with university partners and local students.

MRU staff summarized operational details and gaps. “We have six responders, a supervisor, and then Erin Primm is our coordinator,” Zaremba said in response to commissioners’ questions about staffing and deployment. Staff explained they typically deploy two teams (one east, one west) and can shift coverage as needed; they also refer cases back to the mediation center for longer mediations.

On outcomes commonly asked about by the commission, Dr. Zimmer said evaluators have not yet found a statistical reduction in arrests or use‑of‑force tied to MRU responses. “We don’t statistically show a difference in use and force yet, so we don’t have the numbers on use and arrests,” she said, adding that each MRU response eliminates the potential for an immediate use‑of‑force incident even if longer‑term trend data are not yet conclusive.

Commissioners pressed several operational questions: whether MRU is diverting calls from police or increasing total call volume, and how MRU should coordinate with county mental‑health units and longer‑term case management providers. Dr. Zimmer and Zaremba said some calls that were previously not responded to are now receiving attention and that the MRU is seeing an increase in direct calls to the center. They urged careful partnership so MRU staff are not expected to provide services better handled by specialty social‑service providers.

Next steps described to the commission include continued evaluation with academic partners (including additional analysis of arrests and use‑of‑force trends), ongoing dashboard publication for transparency, and efforts to identify and fill longer‑term case‑management gaps, such as replacing a recently departed contracted social worker.