University of Oregon researchers have created a standardized framework to quantify how mobile crisis response teams divert emergency calls away from police.
Key facts
- •The study introduces three metrics to measure call diversion: Substitution, Prevention-adjusted, and Overlapping-mandate rates.
- •Researchers estimated that CAHOOTS directly diverted 18% of calls that would have otherwise gone to Eugene police.
- •The estimated impact of CAHOOTS increased to 23% when accounting for prevented calls.
- •CAHOOTS handled nearly 50% of calls that fell within the overlapping mandates of police and crisis responders.
- •The city of Eugene stopped funding the CAHOOTS program in 2025.
Researchers from the University of Oregon have introduced three standardized measures to evaluate the impact of mobile crisis response programs on police call volumes. Published in Science Advances, the study provides a framework for communities to assess how unarmed teams handling mental health, substance use, and welfare checks reduce the demand for law enforcement. The researchers developed these metrics using data from CAHOOTS, a long-running program in Eugene, Oregon.
By the numbers
Standardized Measures for Diversion
The researchers—Rori Rohlfs, Claire Herbert, and Nathan Burton—developed three distinct metrics: the Substitution Diversion Rate, the Prevention-adjusted Diversion Rate, and the Overlapping-mandate Diversion Rate. These tools are designed to address the limitations of simply comparing call counts, as police and crisis responders often handle different types of incidents and operate under varying mandates.
Findings from the CAHOOTS Study
When applying these metrics to the CAHOOTS program, the researchers estimated that it directly diverted 18% of calls that would have otherwise gone to Eugene police. When accounting for calls prevented by early intervention, the impact rose to 23%. Additionally, the program handled nearly 50% of calls that fell within the overlapping responsibilities of both police and crisis responders.
Context and Application
CAHOOTS, which began in 1989, is the longest-running mobile crisis program in the United States. While the city of Eugene ceased funding the program in 2025, it continues to operate in neighboring Springfield. The researchers noted that their framework is not intended to set a single benchmark for success, but rather to provide communities with evidence-based data to inform resource allocation within their specific emergency response systems.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Phys.org.
