If you call 911 in Ballard because someone is having a mental health crisis near a tent encampment, Seattle's civilian CARE Team cannot respond because the police union contract says so.

A report from the city's Office of Inspector General, published Thursday, Aug. 20, confirms that the 2024–2027 collective bargaining agreement between the city and the Seattle Police Officers Guild prohibits CARE from responding to calls involving substance abuse, people in homeless encampments, people on private property and individuals in crisis. The OIG found those exclusions cut out a significant portion of the population CARE was designed to serve.

The contract was negotiated under former Mayor Bruce Harrell and ratified by the Seattle City Council at the end of 2025. It runs through Dec. 31, 2027. The CARE Department had no role in crafting the agreement, PubliCola reported.

"I think there is still some work to be done in terms of allowing CARE to have more discretion over how they respond to those calls, over when they respond, and in what locations they have authority to respond," Inspector General Lisa Judge told KUOW.

What the contract blocks

Under the SPOG agreement, CARE's primary dispatch (its first-ever authorization to respond independently to 911 calls) requires dispatchers to confirm the subject is in an open public location, with no visible drug paraphernalia or weapons, no minors present, no indication a crime occurred and no aggressive behavior. SPD sergeants can override any dispatcher's decision to send CARE.

The contract defines a "homeless encampment" as four or more tents or structures that appear to be used for camping. CARE cannot respond to any such location.

Dual dispatch, where CARE and SPD respond together, now excludes welfare checks in private residences and commercial spaces. Those calls were previously eligible. Officers who arrive first may take immediate action without waiting for CARE, a provision the OIG says formalizes what officers were already doing informally.

Between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2026, dual dispatch had an active response rate of just 11%. CARE was dispatched but unable to provide assistance in roughly 89% of those calls.

If CARE responders on self-dispatch encounter someone in distress showing signs of drug use, they must disengage and call police.

CARE's workaround strategy

CARE Chief Amy Barden acknowledged the restrictions but said the department is focused on building volume through other channels. The department expanded hours in early August from noon–10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.–1 a.m. daily, and Barden reported a 32% uptick in responses in the three weeks following. So far in 2026, CARE responders have handled 6,279 calls, nearly matching the 7,100-plus from all of 2025.

CARE is also planning to co-locate with library branches that see high crisis call volumes and launching a partnership with King County Jail to intercept people leaving who need services. CARE responders have called for police backup in just 1% of calls, according to KUOW.

Union challenge and political fallout

The CARE workers' union, Protec17, filed an unfair labor practice complaint in April with the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission, alleging the city negotiated CARE's scope of work without the workers' own union at the table. Protec17 executive director Karen Estevenin told KUOW the arrangement is fundamentally unfair to civilian crisis responders whose duties were decided without their representation.

Mayor Katie Wilson's spokesperson Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said the report highlights limitations placed on CARE under a contract negotiated by the prior administration. The mayor's office said collaboration with CARE will be an essential qualification for the city's next permanent police chief.

The OIG also noted SPD has not updated its internal policy on CARE Team interactions to reflect the new contract provisions. No council hearing on the report has been announced. Protec17 hopes to begin discussions with the city and the guild within the next couple of months rather than wait for the contract's Dec. 31, 2027, expiration.