Jessica Gillooly
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jessicagillooly.bsky.social
Jessica Gillooly
@jessicagillooly.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Suffolk University; Sociologist studying the 911 system
#goblue
Shared some thoughts on-air with @kshb41.bsky.social about how cities can deploy alternative responders to behavioral health crises. In Durham, HEART teams called for police backup in less than 0.5% of responses — an encouraging sign for places like Kansas City.
www.kshb.com/news/local-n...
1 year after fatal Independence police shooting, mental health crisis response gains momentum
A tragic police shooting in Independence involving a mother struggling with postpartum depression has renewed focus on alternative crisis response programs that could prevent similar tragedies.
www.kshb.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Everyone’s talking about alternative response — but few are looking under the hood at how 911 dispatch actually works. My new piece with @barryfriedman1.bsky.social in @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social explores why the design of dispatch protocols matters so much.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
Vital City | The Devil Is in the Details (of 911 Dispatch)
Helping people with serious mental illness hinges on giving better tools and guidance to those who take emergency calls.
www.vitalcitynyc.org
November 6, 2025 at 8:27 PM
New paper out! My co-author @barryfriedman1.bsky.social of @policingproject.bsky.social and I explore how 911 dispatch protocols can unintentionally undermine the goals of alternative response — and what to do about it.
Out in Criminology & Public Policy: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Rethinking rules for 911: Dispatching alternative responders in Denver and San Francisco
Research Summary Alternatives to police response to 911 calls have emerged as a leading public safety reform strategy. A key policy implementation challenge lies in determining whether alternative r...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Jessica Gillooly
As a leading expert on 911 responses, PSC alum @jessicagillooly.bsky.social is helping to shape the development of alternative response systems in American cities. ICYMI, her work is featured in @umfordschool.bsky.social's State & Hill: fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/je...
Jessica Gillooly helps cities reimagine 911 responses
Sociologist Jessica Gillooly (PhD ’20) has used her deep knowledge of call taking and dispatching, along with some compelling new theoretical ideas, to become one of the leading experts on this issue....
fordschool.umich.edu
May 21, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Appreciate my work on 911 being featured in State & Hill @umfordschool.bsky.social
May 1, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Lastly, resharing my podcast episode with host Seth Gershenson about my Vernon Memorial Award-winning article on the important role that 911 call centers play in shaping police behavior at the scene.
21. 911 Call Centers
JPAM's Closer Look · Episode
open.spotify.com
February 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Resharing reports I worked on with the @policingproject.bsky.social about alternative response in San Francisco, Denver, and Tucson—now on Bluesky since I'm making the switch from Twitter. Important lessons on reducing police involvement in crisis response!
February 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
As I move to Bluesky, I'm reposting some work ICYMI.

Why is the police role so broad in the US today?@dtha15.bsky.social and I argue that it's a story about an out-of-control call-for-service system; a Frankenstein’s monster that took on a life of its own and eventually came back to haunt us.
How the Public Became the Caller: The Emergence of Reactive Policing, 1880–1970 | Law & Social Inquiry | Cambridge Core
How the Public Became the Caller: The Emergence of Reactive Policing, 1880–1970 - Volume 49 Issue 4
www.cambridge.org
February 7, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Jessica Gillooly
Breaking News: The Memphis police used excessive force and treated Black people more harshly than white people, the Justice Department found.
Memphis Police Used Excessive Force and Discriminated Against Black Residents, Justice Dept. Finds
The Police Department had been under scrutiny since January 2023, when officers fatally beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, after pulling him over on his way home from work.
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2024 at 12:31 AM
APPAM 2024
November 22, 2024 at 4:06 PM
📢 Emergencies don’t follow a script. That’s why excellent 911 call-taking requires the ability to improvise. Read my new article on collaborative gatekeeping to learn how agencies can better prepare call-takers to navigate ambiguity over the phone. doi.org/10.1093/poli...
November 8, 2023 at 4:52 PM