Here's an Idea

Back in the days of O.W. Wilson, a policy was in place that if a citizen called the 1950's equivalent of 9-1-1, they got a police officer to respond....every single time. Politicians loved it, citizens came to expect it, and cops hated it - the Department was stretched thinner than was ever thought possible. 

It continues pretty much until this day, although there is some minor "filtering" that happens at various levels - you might not get an officer for a number of hours for low priority calls since no one wants to be the one to tell citizens, "That's not a crime, police aren't coming." But it happens here and there.

Here's a concerted effort in the burbs:

• Multiple fire departments in Lake County have launched a program aimed at reducing 911 calls from people who routinely call for an ambulance in non-emergency situations.

  The Wauconda Fire District created a Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program in August in conjunction with the Round Lake, Antioch, Countryside, and Libertyville fire departments. Wauconda Fire District Lt. Erik Christensen said the program is a proactive and preventative approach to prehospital care.

  An MIH program identifies patients who are chronically ill and use 911 services and the hospital emergency department as their primary level of care. Christensen said the goal is to identify those who are chronically ill and high utilizers of the 911 system.

  Once identified, the fire department will provide treatment and intervention to the patients in an attempt to decrease 911 calls and hospital emergency department use.

You know what people can use instead of an expensive ambulance for a non-emergency situation?

• friends or relatives
• Uber or Lyft
• taxi, bus or public transit

As thinly stretched as the CPD is, CFD ambulances are light years worse. Serious reform needs to be undertaken so that when grandma has a stroke on the south side, all the neighborhood ambulances aren't transporting people (or folks) with tummy-aches on the west side.

We've heard the stories.....and so have you.