Speakers Tracey Frisch, Aaron Primm, Daniel Kornfield, Samantha Bunecke, and Mary Naoum described how the Dayton Mediation Response Unit was created and implemented and how it successfully operates in the community today. 

The City of Dayton's Mediation Response Unit (MRU), under the umbrella of the Dayton Mediation Center, is an alternative response team that answers low emergent 911 calls within the City of Dayton. Their program was formulated after the police reform talks began in 2020 and the working groups identified recommendations for the community of Dayton. They are a team of trained responders with a wealth of experience and certification in areas such as crisis response, de-escalation, conflict resolution, community development, and relationship building. 

This program brought together the leader of the Dayton MRU, a representative from Dignity Best Practices—the organization that helped Dayton develop the program, and a representative from the AAA-ICDR Foundation—the organization that helped fund the ongoing work of the MRU. If you are interested in how mediation can be leveraged to create an innovative and effective alternative police response, please listen to the presentation recording.