Two years ago, Seattle’s Community Crisis Responders (CCRs) began operating with a straightforward goal: to offer an alternative to traditional emergency response. CARE’s CCR program began in October 2023 working downtown before expanding citywide, answering crisis calls around Seattle every day. We’ve been looking back on what our crisis responders have achieved over the last two years and wanted to share and celebrate their work with you by the numbers.
1. Six to Citywide
The program started in October 2023 with just six responders working downtown. Fast forward to now: CARE has 24 responders, three supervisors, and patrols citywide.
2. Call and Response
So far, CCRs have been dispatched to 6,729 total incident and written 3,481 reports for calls. Almost 40% of those calls involved referrals to services, and 28% included a transport to somewhere safer, warmer, or more stable.
3. Your Call Is Important to Us
Here’s the breakdown of CCR calls over the last two years: Year one: 909 calls. Year two: 2,650 calls. That’s a 291% jump! The team went from 78 calls a month on average to nearly 300, showing how vital Seattle’s third public safety branch has become in such a short time.
4. On the Clock
On average, it takes 13 minutes for a CCR team to arrive once dispatched. The average call lasts 34 minutes. During that time, our CCRs are offering food and water, providing blankets, having conversations, making referrals, driving people to shelters, and lots more.
5. A Busy Schedule
The CCR schedule runs noon to 10 p.m., seven days a week, holidays included. The busiest times? Midday (12–2 p.m.) and evening (8–9 p.m.). The busiest days? Tuesdays and Fridays.
6. 93 Problems and Crisis is One
Since launch, CCRs have responded to 93 different call types. The biggest category is “Assist the Public,” which covers everything from helping someone overdosing to handing out socks and sandwiches. Other frequent calls include Welfare Checks, Down Person, Crisis, Domestic Violence, and Suicidal Person.
7. Call Collaboration
Almost half of CCR calls come through SPD requests (48%), but CCRs also self-initiate (31%), share calls (11%), or get direct dispatches from 911. Officers now leave 60–70% of shared calls in CCR hands once things are stable. The city is currently working to expand the crisis responder program, allowing 911 dispatchers to send CCRs to the crisis and other calls without police.
8. Safety First
Keeping responders safe is a key part of the CCR program. Out of 3,481 calls, only 15 required officers to return to the scene, less than half of one percent. Just three of those involved concerns for responder safety, or roughly one out of every thousand calls.
9. Talk the Talk
The CCR team speaks a number of different languages, including Spanish, Somali, Igbo/Ibo, Tibetan, Swahili, ASL, Hindi, and Kannada. Our team can meet people where they are, linguistically, culturally, and emotionally.
10. Train, Train, Train
Since launch, CCRs have clocked more than 1,450 hours of professional training: trauma-informed care, de-escalation, suicide prevention, first aid, and more. It’s the kind of training that builds confidence, empathy, and calm under pressure.
Two Years Down, More to Go
In just 24 months, Seattle’s Community Crisis Responders have made a big impact on people during some of their toughest days. Small acts like giving someone a ride to a shelter or passing out snacks and water to those in need feels big win. Our CCRs have proven that a response built on empathy, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving works. So here’s to many more years of snacks, socks, referrals, and resilience. Happy second anniversary, CCRs. Seattle’s proud of you.