Allentown, Pennsylvania, Mobile Community Responder Alternative Police Team Initiative (November 2023)
| Allentown Mobile Community Responder Alternative Police Team Initiative | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Local law enforcement |
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| Status |
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| Type Initiative |
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Not on the ballot
Allentown Mobile Community Responder Alternative Police Team Initiative was not on the ballot as an initiative in Allentown on November 7, 2023.
Measure design
The initiative would have created the Mobile Community Responder Pilot Program as an alternative first response to various types of calls for police services for calls to address calls related to mental and behavioral health, substance use, welfare checks, family and neighbor disputes, issues related to unhoused individuals, and suspicious persons. The initiative would have required an allocation of $4,082,000 and the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for public or private vendor agencies to provide services for the pilot program. The city would have needed to issue the RFP by January 31, 2024.
Under the program, unarmed non-law enforcement first responders who are trained in behavioral health and medical assistance would have been dispatched to calls instead of law enforcement officers. One Mobile Community Response Team (MCRT) would have consisted of:
- one emergency medical services professional, to be defined as "an individual licensed or certified to provide ambulance or paramedic services, including pre-hospital treatment, medical stabilization, and transportation to more comprehensive care" and
- one behavioral or mental health specialist, defined as a "mental health professional with a degree in a human services field, experience working crisis lines or in shelters, or lived experience with behavioral health conditions."
Under the initiative, MCRTs would have needed to:
- be mobile and have their own vehicle;
- carry overdose reversal medication such as Narcan;
- receive ongoing training on crisis response, de-escalation, and harm reduction techniques;
- wear clothing or uniforms distinguishable from law enforcement or other first responders;
- never carry weapons, including weapons such as pepper spray tasers, or other incapacitating tools;
- offer referrals and connections to existing community resources.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Mobile Community Responder Alternative Police Team Initiative was as follows:
| “ | An ordinance introduced as an initiative pursuant to the Home Rule Charter of the City of Allentown approving the creation of a public health pilot program providing alternative first response to calls for service involving mental and behavioral health, substance use, welfare checks, and "quality of life" complaints such as family and neighbor disputes, issues related to unhoused persons, and calls about suspicious persons; authorizing the expenditure of four million, eighty two thousand dollars ($4,082,000.00) and calling for a Request for Proposals to be issued. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
Political Parties
Arguments
Opposition
Opponents
Officials
- Mayor Matthew Tuerk
- Police Chief Charles Roca Charles Roca
Arguments
Background
From 2020 to 2022, Ballotpedia has tracked 41 notable local police-related ballot measures. In 2020, voters approved 20 local police-related ballot measures in 10 cities and four counties within seven states. Two were overturned after the election. In 2021, voters approved seven of 12 local police-related ballot measures in 10 cities and one county within nine states. In 2022, voters approved all nine local police-related ballot measures in six cities and two counties.
To see a list of local police-related ballot measures by year, click here.
In 2023, Ballotpedia covered local ballot measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the 100 largest cities in the U.S., within state capitals, and throughout California. You can review the coverage scope of the local ballot measures project here.
Ballotpedia covered a selection of election-related, such as electoral systems like ranked-choice voting, and policing-related ballot measures outside of the largest cities.
- See also: Local ballot measure elections in 2023
Ballotpedia considered the following questions in deciding whether to cover a police-related measure:
- Is the measure being proposed in response to events involving the use of force by police or related protests, either in the city or county itself or elsewhere in the state or country?
- Are references to the use of force by police, related protests, or proposed reductions in law enforcement funding central to the messaging of campaigns supporting or opposing the measure?
- Does the topic of the measure relate to one of the following:
- police oversight;
- the powers and structure of oversight commissions;
- police and incarceration practices;
- law enforcement department structure and administration;
- law enforcement budgets;
- law enforcement training requirements;
- law enforcement staffing requirements; and
- body and dashboard camera footage.
March 7:
| State | Year | Ballot Measure | Status | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 2023 | Burlington, Vermont, Question 7, Establish Police Oversight Board Initiative (March 2023) | Defeated | 3,864 (37%) | 6,653 (63%) |
May 6:
| State | Year | Ballot Measure | Status | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2023 | Austin, Texas, Proposition A, Oversight of Police Measure (May 2023) | Approved | 51,919 (80%) | 13,097 (20%) |
| Texas | 2023 | Austin, Texas, Proposition B, Oversight of Police Measure (May 2023) | Defeated | 12,137 (19%) | 52,069 (81%) |
| Texas | 2023 | San Antonio, Texas, Proposition A, Law Enforcement on Abortion, Marijuana, and Police Actions Charter Amendment (May 2023) | Defeated | 40,237 (28%) | 101,590 (72%) |
Path to the ballot
The initiative was placed on the ballot through a citizen initiative petition after the Allentown City Council rejected the proposal in a vote of 4-2 with council members Daryl Hendricks, Cynthia Mota, Ed Zucal and Candida Affa voting against the proposal and Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos voting in favor.[1]
On August 30, 2023, the Lehigh County Board of Elections voted unanimously to reject the proposed initiative. City Solicitor Kevin Greenberg said the measure was unenforceable since Lehigh County provides 911 dispatch services to Allentown and the city cannot alter how the county does so. The city also has at least two collective bargaining agreements with first responders that require them to be sent to specific emergency calls and the initiative would not be able to break the contracts.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Lehigh Valley News, "Mental health professionals instead of police? Allentown Council set to debate alternative first-response," accessed August 10, 2023
- ↑ Lehigh Valley News, "Lehigh County Board of Elections shoots down Allentown referendum on mobile mental health team," accessed September 26, 2023
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