ABSTRACT Purpose There have been calls to defund the police and redistribute funding to public safety strategies including incorporating social workers within law enforcement to address nonviolent situations. Method A cross-sectional survey research design was used to describe the need for a social worker embedded in law enforcement among 335 leaders in law enforcement Results Approximately a third of leadership believed a social worker was needed. More than 90% reported that a social worker would be helpful with calls about emotional disturbances, domestic violence, alcohol and drugs, child endangerment, family disputes, victims of crime and death survivors. Over 94% of senior leadership reported that an onsite social worker would support officers’ emotional challenges, alcohol and drugs, and suicide risk. Senior supervising leadership were more likely to support having an on-site social worker than frontline leadership. Discussion Future research should assess whether including social workers as public safety alternatives could reduce unnecessary force by law enforcement.