FY24 Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program Grants -- City of Newark, New Jersey

The Newark Police Division (NPD) is requesting funds to expand the existing co-responder model in place, which currently operates in a limited capacity. The requested funding will allow for three additional licensed mental health professionals, such as social workers, therapists, and psychologists, to respond to dispatch emergency calls with police officers. This co-responder model will be a collaborative effort between the City of Newark, the NPD, and the Rutgers University Behavior Health Care at Newark (UBHC), to ensure that these services are properly serving the community of Newark.

For this project, the NPD will serve as the lead applicant for this project with the UBHC included as a key partner. Allowing for additional mental health professionals from UBHC to respond alongside NPD officers will improve the overall public safety and outcomes of those being tended to, providing additional mental health resources and professionals readily accessible to the department, educated on de-escalating situations and ensuring the individuals health and safety. Without the requested funding, the NPD will be unable to expand its co-responder services, leaving over 1,000 sworn officers of the NPD to respond to all complex critical mental health emergencies alone within the City of Newark. This project is directly aligned with the goals and mission of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and will address two Connect and Protect Program Priority Areas: promote effective strategies by law enforcement to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with mental health disorders and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who encounter law enforcement and improve public safety; and p propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism. The NPD has not received funding for this project previously, and therefore, is incredibly eager for this opportunity to see meaningful change and support the growing mental health needs of Newark. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.