Don't Call The Police

Don’t Call the Police operates dontcallthepolice.com - a national database of community-based alternatives to calling the police or 911, broken down by city. We provide alternatives to police to support our neighbors experiencing crises related to housing, mental health, substance use, conflict, or are from communities who have historically experienced violence when interacting with police. Our goal is making these resources easily accessible to anyone who needs help, but doesn't want to risk the safety of their community by calling the police. All resources are vetted, meaning that we personally speak to the organizations and ask them about their policies involving law enforcement cooperation or collaboration, and we clearly state if and when police might be involved with the services on our site. This allows users to know exactly what they can expect when seeking assistance in a crisis. 

Since the site was founded in June 2020, it has received over 490,000 unique visitors. We have added hundreds of fully vetted resources to the site, have had nearly 100 community volunteers contribute to our efforts, and have been featured in local, national, and international media. Now, two years in and with our processes streamlined and tested, Don’t Call the Police is seeking to expand. 

Each year, approximately 1,000 people are killed by police in the United States. Data demonstrates that up to 90% of calls to 911 are about crises that could be better handled by other specialized crisis responders or community members. By informing people about the alternative forms of crisis assistance that exist in their communities, dontcallthepolice.com can help to direct these calls to safer, culturally competent, and community-driven responders, allowing callers to safely and confidently receive the help they need. With every new person who uses dontcallthepolice.com to safely seek help in a crisis, our cultural understanding of what a better system of community safety and accountability can look like grows. 

Don’t Call the Police envisions a world where everyone is kept safe through communities rooted in relationships and care. Our mission is to strengthen the ecosystem of people who are building healthier communities by imagining new ways of responding to crises. We believe that as we build more trust and deep relationships, our platform can be a vital tool for movement building by documenting this ecosystem. In doing so, we will provide those committed to community safety access to the full universe of allied organizations in their community, assist them in fostering new relationships and expanding their networks, and allow them to understand the areas in their community where additional allocation of resources is most needed. Donors to Don’t Call the Police will be contributing to our efforts to improve our front-and back end site operations, move to a larger and more sustainable data storage system, bring on paid staff, increase public awareness of the site, and build the infrastructure needed to ensure that dontcallthepolice.com is an effective, sustainable, and accessible resource for all.

The mission of Don't Call The Police is that everyone who is in need of help - no matter who they are, no matter where they are, and regardless of their mental health, sobriety, race or housing status - can access that help safely. Your support will go toward reimagining, redefining and reclaiming public safety, building a system of community-based assistance and accountability, and keeping all members of our community safe.