Emergency Calls to Police: Implications for Social Work Intervention

Abstract

Nondispatched calls constitute over half of all calls received by a law enforcement communications center in a city in the Northwest. Such calls are analyzed and implications for social work intervention are suggested. Because these calls reflect community needs, they may be useful to policymakers and planners in developing effective community helping systems. The role of social work in promoting improved, integrative responses to human needs is also discussed.