Denver's police alternative is expanding again, growing from 10 to 16 teams and adding three additional vans. City Council approved the program's contract Monday.
The Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program sends a paramedic and mental health clinician to nonviolent emergencies instead of police. It began in 2020 with one van, and has expanded multiple times since then to include additional vans and partnerships with local organizations through the nonprofit Servicios de la Raza.
STAR has also been a major talking point in this spring's municipal election, with candidates taking credit for and promising to expand the program that has been popular with police, mental health responders and advocates.
But that's something that has already been under way in City Council, which approved a $2.3 million contract to expand long-term support services for people served by STAR. Now, the program is getting almost $2.5 million to continue operations and grow the police alternative.
Denver Department of Public Health and Environment spokesperson Emily Williams said the expansion will help STAR meet current demand from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with the goal of expanding its hours in the future.
"The expansion is needed to help meet demand for STAR calls that are dispatched by Denver 911," Williams said. "STAR is key to achieving Denver's goal of providing the right response at the right time to people in crisis."
