Task force hears methods for training, candidate assessment and building trust with responders

Task force members and guest program managers discussed practical techniques for training responders, evaluating candidates and building trust with both first responders and the public.

Anne Larson recommended overlap training days with officers and scenario‑based interviews to test problem solving under field conditions. "We would get scenarios from shelters... and just listening to how someone approaches the scenarios you can really get a good idea of who they are," Larson said. She described walking interviews and ride‑along evaluations to observe candidates in unpredictable street conditions.

Raven Lozada described a training pipeline that combines certificates (peer certification, mental‑health first aid) with locally developed curricula. Lozada said programs should ask broad questions about lived experience rather than direct questions about victimization, and should ensure candidates with lived experience have had time and support to heal so they do not retraumatize others.

On outcomes and data, both managers recommended collecting practical metrics: numbers of calls taken, referrals, transport destinations, reductions in repeat calls at specific addresses and satisfaction narratives gathered through callbacks. Lozada noted data drives funding and program development: "Data drives the money." Larson added that program metrics should include whether responses still result in emergency transports and whether the program reduced use of force or repeat service use.

Both managers emphasized community engagement as central to credibility: frequent presence at neighborhood events, participation in community groups, and regular case reviews and weekly call postmortems with police and dispatch to refine who should handle which calls.

The task force did not adopt training standards at the session; Leap will include training and evaluation recommendations in its preliminary report.