With the Community Responder Model, LEAP did something we’d never done before. While we were accustomed to partnering with local and state organizations and supporting their efforts by contributing law enforcement expertise, the Community Responder Model put LEAP on the ground in cities, serving as advisors to develop customized 911 alternative response models based on each city’s individual needs.

LEAP’s work to reduce the footprint of policing and ensure the right responder is sent to every call in cities all over the country has opened new doors for our organization. 

• We’re hearing directly from community stakeholders about what their cities need in response to mental health crises, neighbor disputes, noise complaints, and other calls where police may not be the most appropriate or practical response. 
• We’re analyzing 911 calls for service data and creating customized reports to help cities see what’s working and what’s not. 
• We’re working directly with local police, fire, city officials, and community organizations to build roadmaps for what a better response system looks like, including staffing needs, call volume, hours of operation, call types handled, number of responders, cost, responder qualifications, city liability, responder training, and program housing. 
• We’re bringing in law enforcement validators who can address concerns or challenges from local stakeholders with an expertise that sets LEAP apart, offering specific examples of cities that have successfully implemented Community Responder Models.
• And we’re setting cities up for success by helping them build the local team that will implement their model, allowing LEAP to serve as technical advisors while the local experts lead the day-to-day needs of the program. 

The Community Responder Model has also given LEAP the opportunity to join forces with other organizations working to change the landscape of the justice system. In early 2022, LEAP was selected as one of the winners of MITSolve and Stand Together Ventures Lab's Unbundle Policing: Reimagine Public Safety Challenge, a cohort of innovative solutions for creating system change. At the end of 2022, the Just Trust announced that LEAP had been selected to join its Safer Communities Accelerator, a growing community of organizations that are advancing innovative models for preventing crime, repairing harm, increasing accountability, and building stronger, safer communities. LEAP is one of eight organizations to join the cohort, all of which are championing pre-arrest and pre-trial models—from deflection and diversion, to violence prevention programs, to restorative justice work—that get people the help they need while reducing reliance on policing and incarceration.

Community Responder Cities

LEAP has partnered with cities and community organizations all over the country to provide guidance, explore potential models, and develop community responder programs that meet their needs. Cities we collaborated with at varying levels of engagement in 2022 include:

• Milwaukee, WI
• Northampton, MA
• Brooklyn Center, MN
• Amherst, MA
• Dayton, OH
• Evanston, IL
• Rochester, NY
• Atlanta, GA
• Baltimore, MD
• Fort Wayne, IN
• Wilmington, DE
• Columbus, OH
• Charlotte, NC
• Berkeley, CA
• Annapolis, MD
• New Orleans, LA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Springfield, MA
• Cambridge, MA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Redmond/Kirkland, WA
• Richmond, CA
• Chicago, IL
• Newark, NJ
• Washington, DC
• Akron, OH
• Spokane, WA
• Seattle, WA