The Latest on MACRO (Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland) Outcomes
Whether MACRO is led by an external community-based organization or the Oakland Fire Department (OFD), the program’s important intended outcomes remain unchanged. They include:
- Decreased negative outcomes from law enforcement response to nonviolent 911 emergency calls, especially among Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC);
- Decreased criminal justice system involvement for people in crisis, especially among Black, Indigenous, People of Color;
- Increased connections to community-based services for people in crisis, especially among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color;
- Redirection of MACRO-identified 911 calls to an alternative community response system;
- Reduced Oakland Police expenses and call volume related to 911 nonviolent calls involving people with mental health, substance use, and unsheltered individuals.
Four Frequently Asked Questions:
What geographic areas will MACRO cover?
The pilot will initially launch in East and West Oakland. Funding is available to initially have three teams on two shifts, day and swing, seven days a week with functioning hours of 07:00-15:00 and 15:00-23:00, respectively. After a thorough evaluation of the community’s needs, addressing any safety issues, and a clear contingency plan, OFD will consider and plan for a 24/7 deployment with full city-wide coverage once the pilot is complete.
How many MACRO teams will be deployed and what will they respond to?
At the outset, there will be three teams working two shifts during the 18-month pilot. The incident calls or “call types” the program will initially focus on are considered “quality of life” calls. Meetings with OPD were convened to review incident types and trends for days/times for service call history in the geographic identified areas for the pilot.
As of the date of this report, the Fire Department has identified the following call determinates that a MACRO team would be dispatched for:
- Intoxicated/Drunk in Public
- Panhandling
- Disorderly Juveniles – group
- Disturbance Auto – noise, revving engine
- Disturbance Drinkers
- Loud Music – Noise complaint
- Drunk – Oakland term
- Drunk in Vehicle
- Evaluation for Community Assessment Treatment and Transport Team (CATT) response
- Incorrigible Juvenile
- Found Senile
- Indecent Exposure
- Standby Preserve the Peace
- Check Well Being
- Sleeper
MACRO Update from January 18 to January 22, 2022
Field Crew Staffing & Community Outreach
- The MACRO team completed 69 first-round interviews for the 30 Community Intervention Specialist (CIS) and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) openings.
- Second Round MACRO Field Crew interviews will begin Thursday January 27, 2022 and continue into the following week.
- On January 22nd the MACRO program manager attended the “District 6 Neighborhood Council Networking Meeting”. MACRO’s participation in the meeting was facilitated by CM Taylor [D6] and this served as an introduction to the group with the goal of scheduling a regular MACRO update for the group throughout the pilot phase.
Facilities & Equipment
- MACRO Leadership visited Youth Uprising (YU) (2449 88th Ave) for a second site visit with facilities equipment vendor (Cobalt) to decide on the best layout for equipment and determine water, sewer and electrical needs. For next steps we are awaiting feedback from Youth Uprising and Alameda County about requirements for a use agreement for the site.
Sustainability
- The MACRO team sent the Oakland City Council a resolution to accept the State of California Natural Resources Grant Funding ($10,0000,000). This is the first step required in accepting the awarded state funds. This item will be heard at the FEB 1 City Council Meeting (consent calendar).
Advisory Board
- The MACRO team will accept applications for the advisory board until Monday January 31, 2022. Currently 15 community members have applied to the advisory board. Please share the link below with anyone who would be interested and encourage them to apply. The decision to extend the application period was to ensure we have adequate representation from residents within the MACRO pilot demonstration areas.
- Application link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MACRO_Advisory_Board