Addition of NJ’s Second Largest City Makes National Model Available to Almost 300,000 More Residents

TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced today that Jersey City will be Hudson County’s second municipality – in addition to Bayonne, through the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office – to participate in the Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together program. The Jersey City Division of Police will partner with Jersey City Medical Center to undertake a two-pronged approach in responding to individuals experiencing mental health emergencies and follow up on calls where law enforcement identifies that a person would benefit from mental or behavioral health support. According to 2020 census data, Jersey City is home to more than 290,000 residents.

“Since its inception, ARRIVE Together has enhanced New Jersey law enforcement officers’ response to mental health emergencies. This model has proven to be a valuable tool in our efforts to quickly and efficiently connect our residents with help during times of mental distress. Now operating in Jersey City – our state’s second largest city – this program will continue to make a difference for those in need and save lives,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I am pleased to see this program continue to expand its footprint across our state, ensuring that we meet our most vulnerable residents where they are with critical de-escalation strategies that streamline the delivery of mental health supports while uplifting public safety.”

“ARRIVE Together is a national model with a proven track record of improving outcomes for individuals who encounter law enforcement while in need of mental health services, and implementing the program gives Jersey City’s law enforcement officers an important tool for responding to calls with a mental health element,” said Attorney General Platkin. “We are building a safer, more compassionate New Jersey with every community that adopts the initiative, and I’m happy that Jersey City will be a part of that. We appreciate the ongoing support of Governor Murphy and the Legislature in continuing to expand this groundbreaking program.”

Since ARRIVE was implemented in December 2021, increases in funding – including a $549,750 competitive federal grant – have allowed the program to expand to all 21 counties in the state, serving more than 50 percent of New Jersey’s 9.3 million residents. The Fiscal Year 2025 budget allocates $20.1 million to maintain current ARRIVE programs and support expansion.

This March, Attorney General Platkin issued a directive formally establishing the Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR) to support, coordinate, and spearhead initiatives – including ARRIVE Together – aimed at how the Department of Law and Public Safety and New Jersey’s law enforcement agencies respond to public health crises, such as significant substance use disorders and mental health issues, through a lens of public safety.

“Pairing law enforcement officers with mental and behavioral health professionals allows each expert to do what they do best,” said Tiffany Wilson, Director of the Office of Alternative and Community Responses. “ARRIVE Together partnerships lead to better outcomes.”

The ARRIVE Together pilot began with a plainclothes trooper from the New Jersey State Police paired with a mental health screener from the Cumberland County Guidance Center, responding to 9-1-1 calls related to mental and behavioral health emergencies in an unmarked vehicle. As the program expanded, ARRIVE models have been customized to fit the unique needs, resources, and priorities of the communities in which they operate. There have been no arrests related to an ARRIVE interaction, no serious injuries, and no uses of force except during interactions involving involuntary transport at the direction of a mental health screener in the nearly 5,000 ARRIVE interactions recorded to date.

Jersey City will use a co-response and follow-up model. Plain-clothed police officers and mental health professionals from Jersey City Medical Center will respond jointly after the call has been identified as appropriate for a co-response or follow-up. It will operate two to three days a week initially and expand as JCMC expands its staffing. The Jersey City Police Department intends to also incorporate its Police Chaplain program to provide additional support to individuals and their families, when appropriate.

“RWJBarnabas Health is proud to once again be a part of this collaborative effort of delivering screening and supportive behavioral health care in partnership with law enforcement officers in order to facilitate safer and more compassionate care to the communities we serve, together,” said Frank Ghinassi, Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at RWJBarnabas Health and President and CEO of Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “Jersey City Medical Center participates in the ARRIVE Together program in Bayonne with local law enforcement and looks forward to now working with the Jersey City Police Department in this unique partnership that enhances mental health care to those at their most vulnerable.”

“We are pleased to partner with the AG’s Office to implement this program and further build upon our public safety efforts.  We have reached the lowest homicide rate on record in Jersey City, and we continue to see historic reductions in crime year after year in the state’s second-largest city. Our strategic public safety initiatives are clearly making a difference, and we are always willing to try new initiatives that look to further improve public safety for our residents,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. “People in crisis are among our most vulnerable citizens, and we will never stop seeking ways to serve them better.”

“Law enforcement officers are often called upon to assist individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. In these situations, there is no one size fits all approach to best meet the needs of those we are sworn to serve,” said Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez. “The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office has always supported collaborative initiatives that promote public safety and connect those in crisis with lifesaving resources. Our Office is committed to assisting both the Attorney General’s Office and our municipal partners in expanding the ARRIVE Together program in Hudson County.”

Earlier this week, Attorney General Platkin also announced grant funding for the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County to create Jersey City’s Community Crisis Response Team Pilot Program. While the two programs are different, the goal of ensuring that individuals get the appropriate resources and help they are willing to accept is the same. Law enforcement, as well as community-based organizations, are often the first to see a need for mental health and other support services. Providing both with the resources to help their community members address their needs will lead to a safer and healthier Jersey City. ARRIVE Together provides Jersey City officers a key resource and partner to share with those they serve when it is observed or the benefit of having the mental health partner present is recognized, but the safety of all involved is not evident from the initial call.

ARRIVE Together builds on the broad continuum of mental health care available to New Jersey residents. Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis – in addition to struggling with substance use or having thoughts of suicide – can call the free 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to be connected to compassionate, accessible care and support. New Jersey residents can call or text 988 and chat 988 at 988lifeline.org/chat for round-the-clock assistance.

To learn more about the ARRIVE program and the current models operating across the state, please visit www.njoag.gov/arrive.

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