From Boyle Heights to East Hollywood, a new kind of crisis response

Monse Mota and Sofia Zambrano are unarmed, just like their job description says—no guns, tasers or bear spray.

The two are part of the Los Angeles’ unarmed response project, a three-year-old program that diverts non-violent police calls to trained responders. Los Angeles is one of many cities across the country experimenting with alternatives to traditional policing.

On a recent shift, Mota and Zambrano check on a woman in Boyle Heights who lives in a camper with five pets. The woman is not there, but she does have a new German Shepherd.

No weapons needed for that.

Both Mota and Zambrano have experienced homelessness; Mota said she lived in a car with her kids for a while. She and Zambrano were hired together and trained in de-escalation techniques. That was back when the city effo