Richmond selects program manager for Community Crisis Response Program
The City of Richmond has hired Michael Romero, who was part of the Huntington Beach mobile crisis response team, as manager for the city’s yet-to-be-launched Community Crisis Response Program.
According to a biography supplied by the City of Richmond, Romero oversaw operations for the Huntington Beach 24-hour a day, seven-day a week crisis response team, a partnership with the nonprofit Be Well OC, and the Huntington Beach Police Department, created in August 2021.
Huntington Beach's crisis response team is made up of counselors and police officers who respond in plain clothes to 911 calls involving mental health issues and requests for aid from a non-emergency line.
Romero, a licensed psychiatric technician, helped launch Be Well Mobile Crisis Response Programs in Garden Grove, Irvine, Anaheim, Westminster, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and the University of California, Irvine. Romero was highlighted in a story published by the Los Angeles Times.
Eric Licas
Romero said he is humbled to be a part of the Community Crisis Response Program to serve the community of Richmond.
“Our goal with the new CCRP will be to identify resources to assist individuals who will benefit from a citizen response when in crisis,” Romero said. “I am encouraged to share a model that has a history of positive outcomes to facilitating appropriate care in our community. We look forward to being the 4th piece of our 911 service to support our dispatchers, fire, police, and EMS services in the city.”
Sam Vaughn, Deputy Director of Richmond’s Office of Neighborhood Safety, said Romero has more than 20 years of experience in mental health and crisis intervention.
Soren Hemmila
“Michael brings extensive experience to Richmond Residents and will be the Project Manager for our Crisis Community Response Program,” Vaughn said.
The Richmond Community Crisis Response Program is a pilot initiative for a non-police response to calls from Richmond residents staffed by team members who are familiar with Richmond.
The program was created as a non-police alternative response team for low-level emergency calls within the city’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and was one of four interventions developed by the Reimagining Public Safety Community Task Force.
In June 2020, the Richmond City Council directed city staff to prepare a plan to transition from Richmond's community policing model and plan for a reduced police force.
According to an Urban Strategies Council report, the Richmond Police Department would dispatch low-priority calls received through 911 or the non-emergency number that meets the identified criteria for CCRP response.
The crisis team would focus on de-escalating, mitigating, and preventing escalation or repeated emergency situations. Staff would connect residents to services and other forms of support.
CCRP is expected to be separate from the police department and enable officers to focus on more serious calls, crimes, and investigations.
On the weekend, Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez lauded the program during the dedication of art cans for Richard "Pedie" Perez III, who died in a police shooting in 2014.
Linda Hemmila
“We moved some resources from the police to create 500 jobs for youth in the city, to create a community crisis response that is going to be launched in August of this year,” Jimenez said. “Because I believe if we had that to respond when the 911 call came about Pedie Perez. Pedie would have been alive today.”
Jimenez said Richmond needs real investment in programs for youth and support for the unhoused community to solve the root causes of violence.
“This is why we also doubled the budget for the Office of Neighborhood Safety, and this is why last year we closed the year with the lowest homicide rate in 50 years in Richmond,” Jimenez said.
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