ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Albany city officials highlighted the police department’s new unit, meant to connect the community with caseworkers and resources. The program pairs trained professionals with law enforcement for a variety of calls.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Police Chief Brendan Cox said the Community Advocacy Response Team – simply referred to as CART – has already seen early success since the program’s launch on September 22.

Just over a month later and CART workers have responded to 111 calls, many of those mental health crises, or related to substance abuse or homelessness.

“This is truly a third arm of public safety where civilian responders can be directly dispatched to 9-1-1 calls for individuals in crisis or assist police, fire or emergency medical providers in helpi

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