Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR)
Tiffany Wilson, Director
The Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR) is coordinating the Department of Law and Public Safety’s efforts to address how the Department and New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies respond to the country’s continued mental health and addiction crises. Law enforcement is often the first in the community to see the impact of these crises and the first to be asked to address them, often without the appropriate resources to do so. Traditional law enforcement responses and tools such as arrest, prosecution, and incarceration have proven inadequate in addressing the complexities of substance use disorder and mental health emergencies, often burdening frontline police officers and failing to provide effective solutions for the individual or the community impacted. This lack of success has underscored the need for alternative and coordinated strategies and solutions.
Operating within the Department of Law and Public Safety, OACR supports, coordinates, and creates strategies and collaborations aimed at enhancing public health and safety outcomes in situations where public health and public safety intersect. OACR is working to create a safer and healthier New Jersey for all by incorporating mental and behavioral health interventions, implementing innovative approaches, collaborating with communities, and promoting the well-being of law enforcement officers.
DIRECTIVE 2024-01
AG Directive 2024-01 | March 13, 2024
Directive Creating the Office of Alternative and Community Responses
PROGRAMS
PRESS RELEASES
AG Grewal Announces Actions Against 5 Doctors for Indiscriminately Prescribing Powerful Opioids in Exchange for Kickbacks from the Opioid Manufacturer Insys Therapeutics
For Immediate Release: November 23, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralNJ CARES- Sharon M. Joyce, DirectorDivision of Consumer Affairs- Paul Rodríguez, Acting DirectorDivision of Law- Michelle Miller, Director For Further...
Statement of Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal on Constitutional Amendment Legalizing Adult-Use Cannabis
For Immediate Release: November 4, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General Division on Criminal Justice- Veronica Allende, DirectorFor Further Information: Media Inquiries-Peter Aseltine609-292-4791Citizen...
Board of Medical Examiners Permanently Revokes License of Physician Who Traveled Weekly from Rhode Island to Prescribe Large Quantities of Opioid Pain Medications to New Jersey Patients Without a Medical Basis
For Immediate Release: October 28, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralNJ CARES- Sharon M. Joyce, DirectorDivision of Consumer Affairs- Paul Rodríguez, Acting DirectorDivision of Law- Michelle Miller, DirectorFor Further Information:...
AG Grewal Announces Results of Survey Showing 40% of New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Agencies Now Have Conducted Energy Devices (Tasers) Use of the devices by police in New Jersey is carefully restricted by a statewide AG Policy. Used properly, they can be a lifesaving tool in a crisis that might otherwise lead to deadly force.
For Immediate Release: October 23, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralOffice of Public Integrity and Accountability- Thomas J. Eicher, Director For Further Information: Media Inquiries-Peter Aseltine609-292-4791Citizen...
Attorney General’s Office Investigating Fatal Accident in which Police Vehicle Struck Pedestrian in Clifton
For Immediate Release: October 23, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralOffice of Public Integrity and Accountability- Thomas J. Eicher, Director For Further Information: Media Inquiries-Peter Aseltine609-292-4791Citizen...
Twelve Arrested in Takedown of Gang-Related Drug Ring that Sold Large Amounts of Heroin and Cocaine out of Drug Mills in Paterson Division of Criminal Justice and Paterson Police Department led “Operation 42-50” targeting a local set of the Crips street gang that was trafficking drugs in a violent neighborhood
For Immediate Release: October 22, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney General Division on Criminal Justice- Veronica Allende, DirectorFor Further Information: Media Inquiries-Peter Aseltine609-292-4791Citizen Inquiries-609-984-5828Paterson...
AG Grewal Marks Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day, Announces State To More than Double Healthcare Entities with Enhanced Access to Prescription Database to Better Identify Patients at Risk of Addiction
For Immediate Release: October 6, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralNJ CARES- Sharon M. Joyce, DirectorDivision of Consumer Affairs- Paul Rodríguez, Acting DirectorFor Further Information: Media Inquiries-Lisa...
AG Grewal Marks International Overdose Awareness Day With $1.2 Million in New Funding to Better Identify Patients at Risk of Addiction by Enhancing Access to Prescription Database – Federal Funding Obtained in Partnership with NJ Dept. of Human Services to Fight Addiction
For Immediate Release: August 31, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralDivision of Consumer Affairs- Paul Rodríguez, Acting DirectorNJ CARES- Sharon M. Joyce, DirectorFor Further Information: Media Inquiries-Lisa...
AG Grewal, Division of Consumer Affairs Announce Actions to Expand Access to Mental Health, Substance Abuse Services During COVID-19 Pandemic – Measures Aimed at Expanding New Jersey`s Mental Health Workforce and Improving Access to Substance Abuse Treatment and Counseling
Measures Aimed at Expanding New Jersey’s Mental Health Workforce and Improving Access to Substance Abuse Treatment and CounselingFor Immediate Release: July 15, 2020 Office of The Attorney General- Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney GeneralDivision of Consumer Affairs- Paul...
Leading Member of Criminal Ring That Trafficked Untraceable “Ghost Gun” Assault Rifles and Cocaine Sentenced to 14 Years in State Prison
Arrests in Operation Stone Wall were first ever in a ghost gun trafficking case under law signed by Gov. Murphy in 2018 making it crime to buy, manufacture, possess or sell ghost guns in New JerseyFor Immediate Release: July 10, 2020 Office of The Attorney General-...