Created by the New Jersey Office of Attorney General (NJOAG), the ARRIVE Together program (Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation) seeks to make emergency responses safer for people in mental health crisis. It does so through an expansive set of responses that prioritize medical support. According to NJOAG, the program is the first statewide law enforcement and mental health alternative response program in the country. Piloted in Cumberland County in 2021 as a co-response model, it has since expanded to all 21 counties. As of June 2025, former Governor Murphy and Attorney General Platkin announced that the ARRIVE Together program reached a milestone of 10,0000 interactions with New Jersey residents.
The program aims to accomplish four goals:
- Create safer and more equitable outcomes for people in a mental health crisis,
- Increase the utilization of mental health resources,
- Keep residents in their community, and
- Improve trust between law enforcement and community.
The NJOAG provides publicly available data about the program as reported by the responding law enforcement and mental health professionals. The data are updated through a digital dashboard and include information such as basic demographic characteristics of people served, whether they were reported to be experiencing homelessness, level of English fluency, presence of other individuals on the scene, and outcomes of the interaction. Currently, the program includes five response models that the NJOAG notes emerged out of dialogue between law enforcement, mental health professionals, and community advocates.
- Non-Law Enforcement: Mental health professionals respond alone without law enforcement presence. (2% of people served)
- Co-Response: Law enforcement responds in plain clothes and an unmarked car alongside a mental health professional. (19% of people served)
- Telehealth: Law enforcement responds on scene and a mental health professional joins remotely via phone or video conferencing. (3% of people served)
- Close Follow-Up: Law enforcement responds on scene and a mental health professional joins on scene subsequently, immediately or within 24 hours, depending on availability. (37% of people served)
- Follow-Up: Law enforcement responds on scene and a mental health professional follows up with the individual to provide mental health and support services at a later date. (40% of people served)
The NJOAG sees this variation as a strength – allowing the program to be nimble enough to evolve and meet the needs of each community while improving relations between law enforcement and the public. In a Union County announcement, Elizabeth Police Chief Sacca stated, “Since the inception of ARRIVE together program in Elizabeth, in addition to the lack of force and injuries, the department has had great successes in aiding those experiencing homelessness. This success is not only a benefit for the individuals impacted, but a benefit for the relationship between the police department and the community as a whole.”