Statement from Emergency Response Leaders on Proposed Changes to Alternative Response

As the City of Tacoma works to address its structural budget deficit, some members of our emergency service agencies have received notice from their respective labor unions that their positions are at risk for elimination. These reductions will impact the Tacoma Fire Department’s Holistic Outreach Promoting Engagement (HOPE) Team and the Tacoma Police Department’s Community Service Officer (CSO) program. 

The proposed elimination of the HOPE Team and reductions within the CSO program were difficult decisions. We want to explain why we are recommending that many of these positions not continue, while assuring the community that connecting people in crisis to the right services remains central to our first responders’ work. Responding to those in need has always been, and will continue to be, a core function of both the Tacoma Fire and Tacoma Police departments.  

Since their inception, both the HOPE and CSO teams have struggled to maintain intended staffing levels and have never been adequately positioned to effectively serve the community. This structure has led to them responding to a small fraction of the service calls our departments receive. Unlike the City’s traditional first responders, neither the HOPE, nor CSO team was resourced to respond to calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—an important structural barrier since emergencies do not occur only during business hours.  

One of the primary goals of HOPE was to relieve traditional first responders to focus their duty on calls where behavioral health issues were not the primary need for service. In many cases, HOPE and CSO efforts have proven redundant. Nearly all HOPE responses, for example, have also required the presence of paramedics, police officers, or firefighters.  In reality, 99% of HOPE requests have required traditional first responder co-response since July 2023. 

Additionally, Tacoma’s 2026 Community Survey shows service expectations are shifting amongst Tacoma residents, with an increased desire for funds committed to traditional public safety response. The survey showed us that we have an opportunity to more closely collaborate with our partners at the inter-local, county, state, and federal level; as Tacoma joins efforts like the Unified Regional Approach to Homelessness in Pierce County, you will see more collaboration to prioritize working collectively to best meet community needs while not unnecessarily duplicating funds. Your City of Tacoma leadership, including we as the heads of your emergency response agencies, are listening to what our community members are asking for and are approaching the biennial budget accordingly. 

Let us be clear: serving those in a crisis is at the core of what we do. Despite the potential elimination of HOPE and reduction of CSOs, our city’s firefighters, paramedics, and police officers are highly trained and bound by oath to protect the safety of every one of us, including those facing a behavioral health, mental health, or substance use disorder.  

As the leaders of Tacoma’s emergency response agencies, our commitment to keeping our community safe is absolute. That commitment will continue, despite these proposed changes. 

In service, 

Chief Patti Jackson, Tacoma Police Department
Chief Sionna Stallings-Ala’ilima, Tacoma Fire Department