Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO)
The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) is a community response program for non-violent, non-emergency, non-criminal requests for service. MACRO aims to increase access to community resources and reduce responses by emergency services (fire and police).
MACRO responds to:
Behavioral Health Issues
- Mental Health Concern
- Mental Health Challenge
- Indecent Exposure
Individual Well-Being
- Wellness Check
- Sleeper
- Found Senile
Community Disturbances
- Intoxicated Group/Drunk in Public
- Noise Complaint
- Disorderly Juvenile
- Panhandling (Non-Aggressive)
MACRO is not able to:
- Clear Encampments
- Enter Anyone's Home
- Respond to Domestic Violence Calls
- Arrest or Detain Anyone
How to Contact MACRO
Before contacting MACRO, confirm that the situation:
- Is not an emergency
- Is non-violent
- Involves no visible weapons
- Is not taking place inside a home, residence or business
If you need an immediate emergency response, please call 911.
Phone
Call (510) 446-2276 | (510) 44 MACRO
Online Request
MACRO Intake Form
Email
MACRO@oaklandca.gov
When contacting MACRO via email, please include the following information
- Subject Line: "Request for Service @ Address/Location + Incident Type"
- Body:
- Description of incident
- Any relevant information
- A picture (if possible)
Hours of Operation
6:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., seven days a week.
Incidents are addressed in the order they are received.
What to Expect after Contacting MACRO
- When we get on the scene, we will focus on the individual and their needs, not the property.
- All interactions we have are voluntary.
- We must protect the privacy of the individuals involved. We cannot provide follow-up information.
MACRO Zones
Program Overview & History
In 2019, the Oakland City Council allocated $40,000 to research and launch the MACRO program. MACRO is a non-law enforcement mobile crisis intervention initiative. The purpose of MACRO is to deliver a compassionate care first response model grounded in empathy, service, and community.
The goal of MACRO is to reduce responses by emergency services (Fire & Police), resulting in increased access to community-based services and resources for impacted individuals.
Leadership
- Elliott Jones, MACRO Program Manager, Oakland Fire Department
- Michael Hunt, Chief of Staff, Oakland Fire Department
- Tina Risker, MACRO Public Information Officer, Oakland Fire Department
Stay Up to Date
Additional Information
In the News
- In a major shift away from police, Oakland approves MACRO pilot
; The Oaklandside, March 2021
- Oakland launches civilian crisis response team to handle nonviolent mental health calls; ABC7 News, March 2021
- Oakland Fire Department will run non-police MACRO 911 program;
The Oaklandside, March 2021
- Oakland Becomes Latest City Looking To Take Police Out Of Some Nonviolent 911 Calls; NPR May 2021
- Oakland’s first big experiment in diverting 911 calls to mental health teams has launched;
San Francisco Chronicle, April 2022
- Oakland 911 now can dispatch mental health calls to MACRO team instead of police;
Oakland North, August 2022
- Ride along with MACRO: Oakland’s new alternative to the police; The Oaklandside, August 2022
- MACRO: Oakland now has alternative to calling police for low-level calls; KTVU September 2022
- Oakland’s MACRO has responded to thousands of calls. Very few were sent over by the police; The Oaklandside, July 2023
- Don't want to call the cops? In Oakland, you can call MACRO; KALW, December 2023
- Is Oakland's Community Response Team a Successful Alternative to Police?; KQED, January 2024
- MACRO, Oakland’s non-emergency crisis response team, now has a phone number; The Oaklandside, March 2024
- MACRO growing ahead of busy summer in Oakland; KTVU News April 2024
- KQED – The California Report:
Update on MACRO's performance and new data; KQED, May 2025
- 5 years after George Floyd’s murder, Oakland’s MACRO offers a different kind of response; ABC7 News, May 2025