Mayor Eric Adams announced plans Friday to reconfigure staffing for B-HEARD, the pilot program launched in 2021 that offers a non-police response to some 911 mental health calls.
The overhaul comes as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office, having vowed during his campaign to significantly expand B-HEARD and make his own changes to the program as part of a broader effort to remove police from the city’s mental health response.
Mamdani did not respond to a request for comment on Adams’ plan and whether it aligns with his vision for the program.
B-HEARD launched under former Mayor Bill de Blasio after a string of incidents in which police killed New Yorkers in mental health crises who they were called to help.
B-HEARD teams currently consist of social workers employed by

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