LA council takes step toward sending unarmed service providers to some 911 calls

During a special committee on Police reform held on Wednesday, the Los Angeles city council has approved a motion to create an "unarmed" response unit, tasked with handling non-violent emergency.

The move comes after the council's budget and finance committee reportedly received push back for only slashing $133 million from the LAPD's budget. The annual budget for LA's police force is over $1.1 billion, as per Forbes.

Council member Herb Wesson, who helped introduce the plan, spoke out against critics who felt the council was acting in haste, by initiating such a large cut during a time of civil unrest.

The motion directs the LAPD to work with other local entities in responding to health and homelessness issues. It also seeks to “develop an unarmed model of crisis response that would divert non-violent calls for service away from LAPD to the appropriate non-law enforcement agencies and related matters," The Los Angeles Times reported.