Alternatives to Police

Creating a new culture means questioning our existing culture and creating alternatives. While police intervention can be useful at times, it can also be violent, unpredictable, and ill-suited to meeting the needs of affected individuals. Before engaging in legal process, consider alternatives.

Police intervention is commonly considered in the event of: ''What will be your community's first response to these types of problem? At what point is police intervention considered necessary or appropriate by members of the community? Under what circumstances would members find police intervention to be inappropriate or unwelcome?''
 * Sexual assault
 * Acute mental health crisis (danger to self or others)
 * Assault (anywhere between threats and actual violence)
 * Trespassing (or overstaying one's welcome in the community)

Consider different techniques depending on whether these are:
 * Internal conflicts (with communards, visitors, ex-members, guests, and others with a stake in the community)
 * External conflicts (with neighbors or other non-community-affiliated individuals)

Resources
"What To Do Instead Of Calling The Police: A Guide, A Syllabus, A Conversation, A Process."

Resource list from Justice in Policing.