Working Toward Structural Change: Visions and Tension Points for a City-Wide Unarmed Response Program to Enhance Health Equity

Amid growing evidence and high-profile incidents highlighting the dangers of current police practices, many are questioning the role of armed police in their communities. Police violence is a public health issue and unarmed nonpolice response programs represent one potential solution for addressing this issue. In this article, we describe local visions and key tension points for an unarmed public safety program to reduce police violence and improve the health and well-being of its residents. We report on interviews (<i>n</i> = 15) conducted with local leaders, activists, and social service providers in a small-sized Midwestern city that had allocated funding to pilot an unarmed response program. To supplement the interviews, we also systematically followed local news stories and city council meetings and participated as members of a coalition working toward implementing an unarmed response program. Our analysis focused on participants' visions and expectations for an unarmed safety program and identified several key concerns related to program logistics, including program reach, response time, funding, impact, and staffing. We found that key concerns raised by activists and leaders-including the scope of the program, the satisfaction the community has with the program, how it will be evaluated, and how community members will be involved-are similar to concerns raised in a typical health promotion program planning process. The visions and tensions detailed in this article can inform organizing efforts in other municipalities and suggest a role for public health practitioners in developing and implementing these programs.