East Brunswick PD, Rutgers U. To Collaborate On Crisis Intervention
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The East Brunswick Police Department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rutgers University for the “ARRIVE Together” program.
Under the program, cops will be paired with mental health professionals and will arrive together in an unmarked car during certain mental or behavioral health calls.
ARRIVE Together stands for Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation. The program was spearheaded by the NJ Attorney General’s Office.
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During the last council meeting, Police Chief Frank LoSacco spoke about the benefits of the program on the local community.
LoSacco said the police department is obligated to have one officer assigned to the program throughout the week. On days when the police department can’t spare someone, an officer from a neighboring town that participates in the ARRIVE program will cover.
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“They will be responding to active calls involving a mental health crisis and when there is none, they will do much-needed work that is just not happening in our community – which is follow up,” LoSacco said. The officers will follow up on the person in crisis to ensure they are being taken care of.
LoSacco noted that the program has been very successful in towns that have implemented them – New Brunswick, Highland Park, Woodbridge, Edison among others.
The police chief told Council it was very important to reach people in need.
Last year, Washington D.C based thinktank Brookings Institution released a favorable report on the ARRIVE Together program saying it could reform policing.
“Analyzing data from 342 police service case calls shows that the ARRIVE Together program demonstrates promising results: reducing both the use of force and arrests and racial disparities in outcomes. Findings also show an increased utilization of social services,” the report said.
“ARRIVE Together has the potential to improve police-community relations, change law enforcement culture, and provide substantive assistance to people suffering from mental health symptoms. This report provides a series of recommendations to streamline data collection and reporting to improve the ARRIVE Together program so it may serve as a model for other states and communities.”
The thinktank analyzed the program between December 2021 and January 2023 and said it showed “favorable results.”
The council adopted the resolution unanimously.
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