Raheem provides alternative 911 services

The Future. A startup called Raheem is developing an app that allows people to contact alternative emergency services instead of the police. With trust between citizens and police at an all-time low, alternative emergency service providers like Raheem may help de-escalate nonviolent confrontations, especially ones where police aren’t typically trained to handle with the same depth as other professionals.

Curated emergency responseRaheem believes not every situation calls for calling 911.

  • Raheem is building an app that will allow people to call emergency services (that aren’t the police).

  • It does so by contracting community organizations and mobile crisis teams that can use the app as a dispatch tool.

  • The pilot version of the app is already being tested with various organizations, with a full beta version set to be released next year.

Community supportAlthough it may be the first to offer such services at scale, Raheem is following a growing trend of organizations pushing for alternative emergency response.

  • MH First connects trained volunteers in Sacramento and Oakland with those undergoing a mental health crisis.

  • Revolutionary Emergency Partners in Minneapolis has a hotline for nonviolent emergencies, such as noise complaints.

By making services available that don’t require a call to the police, cities may find that their police force has more bandwidth to respond to emergencies that truly require their attention and expertise.

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