Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has announced that the Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together program in Brick Township and Toms River – which works to improve communication between police and individuals with mental-health issues – is also available to residents of the state’s largest municipalities, including Cherry Hill.
Both north Jersey police departments will partner with Bright Harbor Healthcare to provide services during ARRIVE interactions with the public.
“ARRIVE Together’s proven track record of improving outcomes for individuals encountering law enforcement while experiencing a mental-health crisis is a critical element of our efforts to make New Jersey safer,” said Platkin.
“There have been roughly 7,000 ARRIVE interactions since the initiative’s inception,” he added. “And every successful encounter is a testament to New Jersey’s commitment to approaching these calls with compassion and creating an environment where our residents are more comfortable with calling for help.”
Since ARRIVE began in December of 2021, increases in funding that include a $549,750 competitive federal grant have allowed the program to expand to all 21 counties in the state, serving more than 60% of its 9.5 million residents. The state’s 2025 budget allocated $20.1 million for the program.
“ARRIVE Together’s primary mission is to connect individuals in mental distress with certified mental-health professionals, ensuring these crises are deescalated safely, fairly and efficiently,” explained Gov. Phil Murphy. “This lifesaving program not only protects those in crisis, but also enhances the safety of law enforcement and our communities.
“We are proud to equip our state’s law-enforcement and mental-health professionals with the tools they need to effectively attend to those experiencing health crises and protect and serve our neighborhoods.”
Platkin established the Office of Alternative and Community Responses (OACR) through a directive issued last year. The office supports, coordinates and spearheads initiatives that enhance the way the state’s Department of Law and Public Safety and its law-enforcement agencies respond to public-health crises.
“Law-enforcement agencies that have implemented ARRIVE Together have reported better outcomes, even for encounters not involving the teams assigned to the program,” noted Tiffany Wilson, director of the OACR. “When law-enforcement officers work in concert with mental- and behavioral-health professionals on calls involving individuals in distress, everyone benefits.”
The ARRIVE Together pilot began with a plainclothes state police trooper who was paired with a mental-health screener from the Cumberland County Guidance Center to respond to 911 calls. ARRIVE models have been customized to fit the needs of the communities it serves.
In the more than 6,500 police interactions to date, there have been no serious injuries to officers or those needing help and no uses of force except in some involuntary transports.
