The city of Phoenix’s Behavioral Health Units, which respond to some emergency calls instead of police, have doubled their capacity during the past year.
The units have responded to 102% more calls in the first seven months 2025 compared with the same time in 2024. They have also reached 24/7 coverage across the city and nearly doubled staffing during the past seven months.
Phoenix has had a form of their Crisis Response Units, teams of mental health specialists who will accompany police or fire to an emergency incident, since 1995. In 2022, the city added Behavioral Health Units, which most often respond solo to mental health-related emergencies.