Durham's Community Safety Department Director Ryan Smith Oversees Expansion of Unarmed 911 Response Programs
Ryan Smith, the director of Durham's Community Safety Department, is overseeing the expansion and operation of unarmed community response programs that handle certain 911 calls. These programs, which dispatch mental health workers or other trained professionals instead of armed police officers, have grown significantly since 2020. At that time, only six U.S. cities utilized such alternative response models; now, nearly 100 cities have adopted them. Durham's program, known as Durham Heart, has been operational for four years and has responded to over 25,000 911 calls. The initiative was launched after analyzing years of 911 data to identify call types that rarely escalated to violence, including certain mental health crises, trespassing, panhandling, and intoxication. A study by the Research Triangle Institute found that Durham's program leads to fewer arrests and is generally viewed as helpful by police officers, with backup rarely required.
