This weekend in Albany, a statewide movement gained momentum as advocates, lawmakers and mental health professionals came together to commemorate Daniel's Day. The event was in memory of Daniel Prude, who died in the custody of the Rochester police in 2020 during a mental health crisis.

Advocates, organizers and members of the community rallied on Saturday in an effort to bring attention to their cause and advocate for the passage of Daniel's Law.

Daniel's Law, currently a proposed bill in New York, represents a significant shift in public health policy. It proposes the establishment of specialized mental health response units tasked with handling crises, replacing the role of armed police officers. These units would be certified by the state but operated at the local level, emphasizing a community-based approach to crisis response.

"We really want to push for Daniel's Law to pass,” said New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) public policy director Luke Sikinyi. “The whole point of the law is so that we can stop having police be the first responders for mental health crises, especially when there's no danger involved."

"If people knew that when they called 911, they would not be met with police,” Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) co-director of policy and communications TeAna Taylor said. “But instead with people who are trained to handle mental health services. I think that can lead to an actual decrease in crime and an improvement in community safety."

Advocates say the creation of the Daniel’s Law Task Force, through legislative action, is a step forward. This task force's mission is to explore different models and make recommendations for the best statewide program under Daniel's Law.

Despite its potential benefits, advocates say that Daniel's Law faces challenges due to sensitivity and misconceptions surrounding the issue. 

"It can be a very sensitive topic,” Sikinyi said. “There's a lot of fear that if you have people who aren't police officers responding in these crises, that something bad will happen. And we know that that's just not true."

Advocates often point to successful models like the Cahoots program in Oregon as evidence of the potential for reform.

"We've seen the Cahoots model out in Eugene, Ore., do this really, really well without having to call police officers,” Sikinyi said. “It's about de-escalating and having the proper skill sets."

The fate of Daniel's Law now rests in the hands of New York's lawmakers and policymakers.

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office for a response, and a spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of the governor: “We will review the legislation if it passes both houses of the legislature."