LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's Note: The video above is from Dec. 2020.
A proposal that could lead to a change in policing took a step forward Thursday night. A Louisville Metro Council committee approved a contract between the city and the University of Louisville to implement a "deflection method" in the metro.
Under the program, when someone calls 911, the dispatcher would assign the call to first responders like police and fire - or to a social worker or mental health expert, depending on the situation.
Chief of Public Safety Amy Hess said there are still several things they need to figure out, which is where the study comes in.
"Many have already started down this path to try to come up with different models and we certainly want to include them in the assessment to try and find the best path forward because this is a wholesale change in the way we do business in public safety and we want to make sure we get it right before we go down any particular path," Hess said.
The nearly five-month contract would cost about $231,000. The full Metro Council will consider it at their next meeting.
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