The motion here in Los Angeles was introduced by several council members in June at the height of our civil unrest.
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This follows the nationwide movement by civil rights activists to defund the police.
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The council approved the motion 14-0, saying that a different response is needed for people who may be suffering from mental health or substance abuse issues.
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"It has become more apparent that unnecessarily dispatching armed police officers to incidents that do not require their presence oftentimes escalates situations to a dangerous and unnecessary level," said Councilman Mitch O'Farrell.
The city is looking to partner with a nonprofit to develop the team of specially trained, unarmed responders for nonviolent calls. Los Angeles will become the first big city to develop such a pilot program.