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What is the Best Response? Examining the Impact of Police and Their Alternatives / Bocar A. Ba, Patton Chen, Tony Cheng, Martha C. Eies, Justin E. Holz.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Ba, Bocar A.
- Series:
- Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w34344.
- NBER working paper series no. w34344
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
- Place of Publication:
- Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2025.
- Summary:
- Cities across America are adopting civilian crisis response programs as alternatives to traditional policing, yet causal evidence on their impact and cost-effectiveness is scarce. This paper evaluates Durham, North Carolina's HEART program, which diverts nonviolent 911 calls from police. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that HEART reduces crime reports, arrests, and response times--primarily through civilian phone and in-person responses, rather than police-civilian co-responses. The program increases future 911 calls, which suggests it fosters public trust. Based on an original contingent valuation survey and applying the marginal value of public funds framework, we conclude that HEART is a fiscally self-sustainable intervention.
- Notes:
- October 2025.
- Print version record
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