Arrive Together
In 2020, across New Jersey, two out of every three uses of force by law enforcement involved a civilian suffering from mental health or substance use issues. Over half of all fatal police encounters occurred in similar circumstances. As a result of these alarming statistics, the ARRIVE (Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence & Escalation) Together program was conceived by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Human Services and the New Jersey State Police.
What began as a co-response program in Cumberland and Union Counties grew to include telehealth, close-in-time follow up, follow-up, and critical incident models. It is now active in all twenty-one counties, and all municipal police agencies in Burlington County participate in the ARRIVE Together program. Thanks to the legislature and Governor, funding for the program is provided through the Office of Alternative and Community Responses in the Department of Law and Public Safety.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to improving the way law enforcement officials respond to members of the community experiencing mental health emergencies. ARRIVE Together provides police officers with an opportunity to respond to a behavioral health incident with a mental health professional or in the alternative, to provide follow up services when appropriate. In Burlington County, Oaks Integrated Care and Legacy Treatment Services are utilized to provide mental health services for the program.
The ARRIVE Together program has four important goals. The initiative aims to increase safer outcomes with vulnerable residents by having mental health professionals address concerns rather than the police alone. Second, the program looks to increase the utilization of mental health resources in the community. Third, the program works to keep residents in the community, when appropriate, connected with services to meet their needs. The last goal of ARRIVE is to improve the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Burlington County currently employs three ARRIVE Together response models: the Co-Response model, the Close-in-Time model, and the Follow-up model. The Co-Response model involves a certified mental health screener and a police officer responding together to a call with a behavioral health element. The Close-in-Time model involves a mental health screener responding close in time to the call, usually within thirty minutes of the initial arrival of police and while police are still on location. The Follow-up model seeks to connect mental health service providers with individuals who need mental health services in a timely and effective manner. While all Burlington County police agencies are currently using the Follow-up model, some may also utilize the Co-Response and Close-in-Time models. Regardless of the ARRIVE Together model used, all police agencies will respond promptly to emergency calls for service.
For more information, please visit: https://www.njoag.gov/programs/arrive-together/
Members of the Burlington Township Police Department and Maple Shade Police Department were honored recently by the Prosecutor’s Office for pioneering the ARRIVE program in Burlington County.