Mount Olive Police Collaboration with Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris to Implement Co-Response Crisis Responders

The Mount Olive Police Department (MOPD) together with the Township of Mount Olive are applying for the US DOJ BJA FY 2023 Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Responses Grant. The MOPD proposes to initiate a co-response program to implement mental health professionals into our workforce. The Township of Mount Olive has engaged with the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris (MHAEM) to initate collaborative efforts. Mental health professional co-response with MOPD will promote high-quality and functional support and risk mitigation to our township’s citizens and law enforcement officers.
    The Township of Mount Olive has a population of approximately 29,000 citizens. The township has seen an increase in law enforcement interactions with individuals suffering from mental health disorders and mental health substance abuse disorders in recent years. From 2018 to 2022, Mount Olive has increased in mental health calls from 236 calls for service in 2018 to 386 calls for service in 2022. Such calls were directly related to mental health disorders and is a 39% increase over the 5-year period. In the same time period, 80% of Mount Olive Police Department’s use of force incidents were utilized on individuals suffering from mental health disorders/mental health substance use disorders.
    The Township of Mount Olive is not a previous recipient of the Connect and Protect grant and is looking to be the first township within Morris County to implement crisis responders into our workforce. The Township of Mount Olive is requesting $550,000 in funding to initiate the collaboration with MHAEM, providing the township with mental health professionals for coverage of 80 hours per week Monday through Friday. The mental health professionals would respond with MOPD to mental health related incidents, proactively reach out to known individuals suffering from mental health illnesses, and provide MOPD officers with continued training. This collaborative project focuses on reducing risks of harm to all parties involved and provide our citizens with extensive resources that would otherwise be overlooked.