Urbana task force weighs CAD access, staffing and budget for proposed community responder program

The City of Urbana’s Alternative Response Task Force spent its latest meeting reviewing a preliminary report on a proposed community responder program, debating whether the service should be run by a city agency or an external contractor and how 911 CAD access, staffing and budgets would shape safety and effectiveness.

Dee, the task‑force presenter, told members the report is preliminary and intended to gather feedback before a final recommendation; it highlighted an operating‑agency choice, several budget changes and an expanded list of eligible call types. She said the final report will include sections not yet completed, such as training and legal liability analysis.

Consultant Amos Erwig, presenting from Baltimore, said CAD integration is a major operational difference between a city‑staffed and a contractor‑run model. "Having access to the CAD system… you can check the history of calls from this phone number or address," he said, arguing that that access helps responders and dispatchers and can increase police confidence in the program.

Amos presented two staffing-and-hours options: Option A (10 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week) would cover about 76 percent of calls and was estimated to require roughly three teams (six responders); Option B (11 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week) would cover about 45 percent of calls and operate with two teams. He noted both models assume one team is on the street at a time and that additional teams are needed for shift relief.

Cost estimates in the preliminary materials flagged personnel and one‑time equipment (vehicles, technology) as the largest budget drivers. "You'll notice that the big factor is personnel costs," Amos said, and presenters cautioned the draft numbers do not yet include overhead items such as IT and facility charges, which could raise the total.

Several members flagged operational risks that affect whether a contractor could be recommended. Betsy, representing the regional dispatch center, raised privacy and criminal‑justice‑information‑system constraints, noting that contractors often do not receive full CAD integration and instead rely on forwarded CAD data or dispatcher screening. She said access decisions involve legal and policy trade‑offs that vary by state and system.

Other attendees stressed the fragility of state and federal funding for crisis systems. One participant noted a recent federal Notice of Funding Opportunity that requires a high share of in‑state 988 handling, and said Illinois currently handles a much smaller share—observations members said could affect how Urbana structures the program.

Members discussed specific call‑screening issues. Presenters recommended excluding priority‑1 calls (for example, those involving weapons or active violence) but noted that several mental‑health call types (suicidal threat, mental‑health alpha/bravo) are often classified as priority‑1; task‑force members agreed the alpha category should be removed for now because those calls are likely to be routed to 988 under evolving state practice.

Questions about legal liability and co‑response produced a measured response: presenters said merely sending officers and community responders to the same scene does not by itself create a new duty of care that would automatically trigger liability, but they acknowledged lawyers are reviewing liabilities, immunities and EMS requirements as the team drafts formal recommendations.

The task force did not vote or adopt formal recommendations at the meeting. Dee said consultants are close to a recommendation but that implementation planning (training, agreements, CAD arrangements and budgeting) remains. The group was reminded of a community engagement session at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday and of the next task‑force meeting on July 16. Members were asked to submit feedback to the city clerk by email.

What happens next: the consultants will incorporate feedback and complete omitted sections (training, equity, legal liability) in the final report; the task force expects to finalize recommendations once those details and procurement options are clarified.