Berkeley's Specialized Care Unit (SCU), originally part of the Reimagining Public Safety initiative, is set to transition its services to Alameda County due to staffing and funding challenges. Despite its $5.4 million cost, the unit was unable to operate full-time and struggled to respond promptly to mental health crises. The SCU was intended to provide civilians in crisis an alternative to police responses, freeing law enforcement for other duties. As federal and state funding is unavailable to continue the program, Berkeley will rely on county services moving forward.
The city is transitioning the services of the Specialized Care Unit to Alameda County due to slow recruitment and lack of dedicated funding for local response teams.
With a $5.4 million price tag, the SCU was a key program from Berkeley's Reimagining Public Safety initiative, which aimed to address police violence.
Bonita House struggled to hire enough staff to operate the SCU 24/7, failing to guarantee timely responses to mental health crisis calls.
Proponents of non-police responses believed it would provide a civilian resource for people in crisis, freeing police for criminal investigations.
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