Morris County marked the first anniversary of the countywide expansion of its ARRIVE Together program Wednesday night, a crisis response model that Denville helped pilot before it reached the rest of the county.
The Board of County Commissioners recognized the milestone during a 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. It pairs police officers with licensed mental health clinicians on emergency calls involving residents experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis.
Denville was one of eight municipalities that started the program in March 2024, along with Morristown, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Madison, Montville, Parsippany-Troy Hills and Roxbury. Hanover and Randolph were added later that year, and the county says the program reached the majority of Morris County by July 2025.
Clinicians can respond alongside officers or shortly afterward to assess the situation, work to keep it from escalating, and connect residents and their families with services. When an on-scene response is not possible, the county says follow up outreach may be coordinated instead.
As of Aug. 5, 2026, more than 20,000 ARRIVE interactions had been recorded statewide. Morris County accounted 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,” Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw said in the county announcement.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said the model gives police departments access to skilled clinicians who can provide counseling or mental health assistance instead of relying on criminal justice alternatives.
The program was established in November 2023 through a partnership between the Prosecutor’s Office and the Mental Health Association, with support from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Denville police trained alongside neighboring departments for an active shooter scenario at Morris Knolls High School earlier this month. The county is also holding its seventh annual Overdose Awareness Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31 in Morris Plains. Residents can find local support on the county’s mental health resources page.
Photo credit: Morris County
