Speaking at a press conference at the Bayonne Community Museum on April 20, state, county, and municipal officials discussed the start of Arrive Together in Bayonne, a joint program for law enforcement officers and mental health professionals.  Started as a program in Cumberland County, New Jersey in 2021, Arrive Together is expanding gradually to other parts of New Jersey.  The program pairs mental health professionals with law enforcement officers to respond to emergency calls for service involving persons with mental health issues. 

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said that she was “very excited” about this pilot program, which will operated initially two days a week in Bayonne with Hudson County Sheriff’s Officers and mental health professionals. 

Andrew McCurdy, Senior Counsel to the State Attorney General, said that the mental health professionals are capable of making psychological screenings of the residents involved in mental health emergencies.  He said that the program “improved the response” in Cumberland County.  Arrive Together was extended to Elizabeth in Linden in 2022, producing what McCurdy called “favorable results.”  The program will come to Bayonne during the coming month.  McCurdy explained that the law enforcement-mental health teams will handle cases ranging from responding to those with suicidal thoughts to making welfare checks on people.  McCurdy said that Governor Murphy has proposed $10 million for Arrive Together in the proposed state budget for the next fiscal year.

Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari said that he was “honored” to be part of a program that will “help somebody who can’t help themselves.”  He cited what he referred to as a “mental health crisis on the rise.”

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