Albany has launched a new initiative to address mental health crises and other non-violent quality of life issues with the introduction of the Community Advocacy Response Team (CART).
This team of crisis caseworkers, which began operations on Sept. 22, works alongside the Albany Police Department, but can also respond independently to certain 911 calls.
Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox emphasized the need for a third type of first responder, saying, “We need to have folks who are social workers, folks who have a lot of experience, folks who can go not in a police or a fire uniform, but can go and try to solve another issue.”…