Police take armed man into custody at Durham home
A man was taken into custody Tuesday after Durham police officers were called to conduct a welfare check.
Around 11 a.m., Durham police officers came across a man with a gun when they responded to Walbash Street at Dayton Street, in the McDougald Terrace community.
There was a heavy police presence surrounding the home. Members of the Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams (HEART) crisis response team were on the scene as well.
"I feel like we're establishing a really, really strong foundation for a brand new response," said Ryan Smith, the director of Durham's Community Safety Department.
According to Durham Network of Care website, HEART members, are unarmed mental health professionals, who are a better match for 911 responses to the needs of people experiencing nonviolent behavioral & mental health crises.
According to Smith, the response was a good example of the work unarmed responders can do when people are struggling
"I think that having clinicians, [and] mental health professionals and peers on scene better positions us to make sure we that we can assess and meet the needs of a neighbor in crisis," Smith said.
It took at least five officers about 45 minutes to take the armed man into custody.
No injuries were reported.
Smith said the data shows HEART programs makes these outcomes possible.
"We're establishing the same type of track record that we're seeing in other cities that you can do this type of work. That's consistent with the safety of our responders and our neighbors and others on scene," Smith said. "We have an excellent track record with the safety of our community response teams."
From late June 2022 through early January 2023, unarmed community response teams have responded to more than 1,100 calls, with 20% of the responses in partnership with police.
Some 70% diverted the call away from law enforcement and the remaining 10% were follow-up calls.
In September 2022, co-response HEART teams of intervention-trained police officers paired with clinicians in Durham were announced.
"The goal of co-response is that regardless of whatever potential risk posed by a call, if we think that that call needs a clinician on it, or a mental health professional, we're able to provide that type of report and response," Smith said.
As of now, the unarmed responders are part of a pilot program that operates in one-third of Durham. Smith told WRAL News staff is working on a budget to show elected officials the cost of expanding city-wide.
