Letter: We Oppose Town’s Proposed Cutbacks to CRESS
by Martha Hanner and Ash Hartwell
We are deeply concerned regarding the potential cutback of funding for the Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) department in the proposed FY2026 town operating budget being presented to the Town Council on May 5. In the aftermath of the national reaction to George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the Town Council passed a resolution, committing Amherst to ending structural racism and achieving racial equity. The council established the Community Safety Working Group (CSWG), with the goal to work to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and community safety in Amherst. Many residents testified to the CSWG that they feared calling the police. After extensive community input and research, the CSWG recommended immediately creating the Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) to be a civilian unarmed alternative to the Amherst Police Department, as a critical part of the pathway to racial justice in Amherst.
Currently, the federal government’s rhetoric and actions, particularly the unlawful actions of ICE, are causing so many of our local residents to feel vulnerable and to fear for their rights and safety. Thus, our community’s need for the services of CRESS’s unarmed responders is far broader and more urgent than initially envisioned. CRESS requires a threshold of staffing and support to function effectively. This includes: broad public awareness of how it can respond to concerns of safety and support in coordination with the Police Department; clear and widely known channels of communication for dispatch and response; strong, committed leadership and management; staff training, record-keeping, monitoring and reporting; and at its core, an adequate number of responders and hours of service that reflect the demand for its services. CRESS is currently at the brink, with only five responders, rather than the eight responders hired in 2022 (They are dispatched as pairs).
The crucial post of Implementation Manager is funded by a grant which ends this July. Without greater support than what is provided in the current draft town budget, CRESS will be pushed below the threshold for even minimal effective functioning.
CRESS currently has a very capable, experienced director. Under her leadership, the number of direct calls to CRESS, walk-ins, and total interactions is increasing each month (see e.g. table below). Amherst Police and Fire Departments are beginning to refer cases to CRESS for follow-up. The responders have shown skill in quickly de-escalating situations, particularly at the Amherst Survival Center and Craig’s Doors, avoiding the need for police intervention. Their interaction with local youth has received praise. Although originally envisioned by the CSWG as operating 24/7, Dispatch and the Amherst Police Department expressed serious concern that the risk of violent incidents was too great after 10 pm. There seemed to be consensus that CRESS would operate shifts from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Yet, the current location of CRESS in the Bangs Center, which closes at 4 p.m. and is not open on weekends, and the decrease in staffing have limited the ability of CRESS to respond between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m, the very times and hours when their services are most needed.
Amherst received widespread recognition as one of the first communities nationwide to establish alternative safety responders. Other communities look to us for leadership. To pull back support for this enterprise now would represent an unfortunate step backward in the Town’s initial progress towards racial equity and social justice. This would tarnish Amherst’s reputation and represent a betrayal of the town’s commitment to the community it serves.
In the words of the Amherst Community Safety Working Group’s Report, “…the work of creating community safety and racial justice has new momentum which must be maintained and accelerated in the coming years…the entire community has a role to play in supporting encouraging, and participating in envisaging and building a social fabric of justice, interconnectedness, and care that extends to all aspects of our town.”
Martha Hanner
Ash Hartwell
Martha Hanner and Ash Hartwell are residents of Amherst.
Thank you for your attention to the proposed freezing of two CRESS positions. I have concerns similar to those listed above, especially pertaining to ICE and the ongoing federal review/threat to sanctuary cities such as Amherst.
I read today in the town manager report (May 5) that there had been 1,817 interactions with CRESS so far this year. (with 6 responders, working only 1 shift). If CRESS had the same number of employees and hours as police, this would amount to 14,536 year to date. When looking at the police statistics in the FY26 budget (page 125) it appears in FY24 there were 17,472 calls for service. 274 of which would be categorized as violent offenses (rape, sexual assault, assaults on officers, assaults, domestic violence).
To me it seems it would make more sense to freeze all vacant police positions, especially given the note that mental/medical assist calls are on the rise, and these are calls CRESS has already been able to respond to.