Tacoma: Statement from Emergency Response Leaders on Proposed Changes to Alternative Response

~ Tacoma officials are proposing to eliminate the Fire Department's Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement (HOPE) Team and reduce positions in the Police Department's Community Service Officer (CSO) program as the city addresses a structural budget deficit.

In a statement, Police Chief Patti Jackson and Fire Chief Sionna Stallings-Ala'ilima said some employees had been notified by their unions that their positions were at risk. The chiefs described the proposed changes as difficult decisions and said connecting people in crisis with appropriate services would remain part of the departments' work.

The chiefs said both programs have struggled to maintain their intended staffing levels and have served only a small share of the departments' calls. Neither team was staffed to respond around the clock, they said, limiting their ability to cover emergencies outside operating hours.

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The HOPE Team was intended in part to allow traditional first responders to focus on calls where behavioral health was not the primary need, according to the statement. But the chiefs said the team's work often overlapped with other responders: Since July 2023, 99% of HOPE requests have required a response alongside paramedics, police officers or firefighters.

The statement also cited Tacoma's 2026 Community Survey, saying it showed increased resident interest in directing funds toward traditional public safety response. The chiefs said the city would seek greater collaboration with regional, county, state and federal partners, including through the Unified Regional Approach to Homelessness in Pierce County, to address community needs and avoid duplicating spending.

The chiefs said firefighters, paramedics and police officers would continue responding to people experiencing behavioral health, mental health or substance-use crises, despite the proposed changes.

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