NEW YORK — Newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has proposed creating a Department of Community Safety (DCS) , a plan that could change how the city responds to mental health crises by placing FDNY EMTs and paramedics at the center of that response.

The proposal calls for a public health approach to safety, expanding the use of health professionals instead of police for nonviolent emergencies. It would move the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) under the new department and expand it citywide.

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Expanding B-HEARD

B-HEARD currently deploys teams of FDNY EMTs or paramedics and mental health clinicians to respond to certain 9

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