Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, Wayne Mayor Christopher P. Vergano, Wayne
Police Chief Joseph R. Rooney, and St. Joseph’s Health President and CEO Dr. Dustin M. Riccio
announce the upcoming launch of the highly regarded ARRIVE Together program in the Township
of Wayne.
Alternative Responses to Reduce Instances of Violence and Escalation (ARRIVE) Together is a
statewide program, implemented by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and overseen
by its Office of Alternative and Community Responses, aimed at providing individuals in crisis
with assistance as quickly and effectively as possible. The program teams a police officer
specifically trained in crisis intervention with a mental health screener to respond to 9-1-1 calls
relating to a mental health crisis. There are five program types associated with ARRIVE: the Co-Responder Model, the Telehealth Model, the Close-in-Time Follow-Up Model, the Follow-Up
Model, and the Critical Incident Model. Wayne will be utilizing the Co-Responder and Follow-Up programs. The Co-Responder Model teams law enforcement officers with a mental health
service provider to respond to emergency service calls and/or follow-up visits that relate to
behavioral health crisis. In the Follow-Up Model, law enforcement officers inform the mental
health specialists of individuals encountered by law enforcement that needs services of the mental
health specialist within a designated timeframe.
Connecting law enforcement officers with mental health clinicians can help improve trust between
law enforcement and the community it serves. Partnering officers with mental health professionals
can lead to safer outcomes with fewer instances of use of force, arrests and injuries. When officers
and mental health professionals respond together, wait times can be reduced and difficult situations
can be addressed before they escalate, and the chances of individuals being unnecessarily taken to
the hospital can be reduced.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Wayne Police Department and St. Joseph’s Health invites
the public and community stakeholders to an open forum about the ARRIVE Together Program at
6:30 p.m. on January 28, 2026, at Wayne Community Center 1 Pike Drive Wayne, NJ 07470.
Representatives from all three partner agencies will be on hand for the open discussion.
