MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners marked the first anniversary of the countywide expansion of the ARRIVE Together program during a special presentation by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mental Health Association.
ARRIVE stands for “Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation.” Supported by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the Morris County program was established in November 2023 through a partnership between the Prosecutor’s Office and the Mental Health Association.
The program pairs law enforcement officers with licensed Mental Health Association clinicians to help de-escalate situations when police respond to emergency calls involving people experiencing mental or behavioral health crises. Clinicians respond alongside or shortly after officers to assess the situation and connect individuals and their families with appropriate services. Follow-up outreach is also coordinated when an on-scene response isn’t possible.
As of August 5, more than 20,000 ARRIVE interactions have been recorded statewide, with Morris County accounting for 3,669 of them, the most of any county in New Jersey.
“ARRIVE Together has become an important partnership between law enforcement and mental health professionals, helping residents experiencing mental and behavioral health crises connect with appropriate care and services,” said Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said the partnership allows police responses to draw on clinicians who can offer counseling or mental health support as an alternative to relying solely on criminal justice measures. He credited Chief Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez and Mental Health Association ARRIVE Director Deanna Ackerman for leading the program locally, along with Mental Health Association CEO Bob Davison, Nadine Venezia and the organization’s clinicians. He also thanked Morris County Sheriff James Gannon and Morris County Police Chiefs Association President and Madison Police Chief John Miscia for welcoming the program into local departments.
From Pilot to Countywide
The program began in March 2024 with pilot efforts in eight municipalities: Morristown, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Madison, Montville, Denville, Parsippany-Troy Hills and Roxbury. Hanover and Randolph were added later that year, and the program expanded to most of Morris County by July 2025.
Rodriguez described one recent incident in which a clinician and two officers responded to a call involving a person threatening self-harm from a parking garage ledge, and were able to talk the individual down safely. In another case, a clinician helped a police stop involving an autistic driver end peacefully by helping the driver process the situation, avoiding the need for officers to forcibly remove him from his vehicle. Clinicians have also provided support following traumatic incidents, including counseling for a group of young lifeguards who were unable to save a swimmer, and have assisted with cases involving substance use, family issues, domestic violence, grief counseling and connecting residents with community resources.
Miscia said use of force during mental health calls has declined significantly since the program’s implementation, and thanked the clinicians and participating agencies for their collaboration.
Davison said the Mental Health Association and law enforcement partners respond together and evaluate each case individually to connect people with the services and support they need. Gannon called the program an example of effective public-private partnership, noting that officers and emergency room staff once had few resources to draw on when responding to people affected by mental health crises.
The Prosecutor’s Office and Mental Health Association also support the ARRIVE Critical Incident Model, which provides access to a qualified mental health professional around the clock for certain high-risk incidents requiring medical or mental health intervention.
Following the presentation, Director Shaw presented two framed Resolutions of Honor to members of the Prosecutor’s Office and Mental Health Association on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners in recognition of the program’s first year of countywide operation.
