The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has hailed the ARRIVE Together program as a success, citing a Brookings Institution report that analyzed interactions involving plainclothes law enforcement officers trained in crisis intervention and mental health screeners responding to calls of those suffering a mental health crisis.
Newly released documents obtained through a lawsuit by NorthJersey.com and New Jersey Monitor provide glimpses into the program’s operation, revealing successes and areas for improvement.
Positive Outcomes
The Brookings report highlighted “promising” results, indicating a reduction in use of force, arrests, and racial disparities in policing, as well as an increase in the use of social services.
The program has had 2,800 interactions statewide, with seven arrests and four instances of force used on individuals in the three initial pilot areas.
Inconsistent Record-Keeping
However, the documents also expose inconsistencies in record-keeping among participating departments, raising concerns about the reliability of the data used in the Brookings report.
Cumberland County failed to record race and other demographic information, while Elizabeth’s and Union County’s descriptions of incidents were often sparse.
Ambiguous Decision-Making
In some cases, the logs lack sufficient detail to determine why an ARRIVE team decided that hospitalization or further assistance was not necessary. The data also raises questions about the discretion exercised and resources provided to individuals.
Call for Improved Data Collection
Policy analysts argue that the small sample size and inconsistencies in data collection limit the ability to draw definitive conclusions about the program’s effectiveness.
The Brookings study recommends improving data collection methods, including standardizing variables across departments, gathering more detailed information on symptoms and diagnoses, and recording the race of both individuals receiving assistance and ARRIVE team members.
Comparison with Non-ARRIVE Encounters
Importantly, the report emphasizes the need to compare ARRIVE calls with non-ARRIVE encounters to fully assess the program’s impact.
Cases Involving Force
Before the ARRIVE program’s implementation, 43% of instances involving police force use involved individuals with mental health issues. In contrast, law enforcement reported using force in only four encounters among the three departments in the ARRIVE pilot program.
However, the documents provide disturbing accounts of these incidents, including a student restrained with handcuffs after struggling with police due to an autism diagnosis and “crisis history.”
Cases Involving Arrests
Seven individuals interacting with ARRIVE teams in Cumberland County were arrested, three for outstanding warrants. One had made threats of self-harm but later recanted.
Other arrests included a domestic dispute and a shoplifting incident. Without ARRIVE, law enforcement may have had limited options besides arrest, according to the Brookings report.
Interactions with Weapons
The logs provide snapshots of potentially dangerous situations that ARRIVE screeners and police successfully de-escalated.
An individual with a traumatic brain injury was calmed and persuaded to go to the hospital after surrendering a crossbow. A father with dementia and Alzheimer’s, who pulled a gun on his son, was taken outside and his home was searched for weapons.
Additional Assistance
Beyond crisis intervention, the ARRIVE teams have provided practical assistance, such as medication management and connecting individuals with outpatient mental health services.
One team intervened in an identity theft case and provided resources, resulting in the victim writing a poem of gratitude.
Conclusions
The Brookings report provides evidence of the ARRIVE Together program’s successes in reducing the use of force and arrests, as well as increasing access to social services. However, inconsistent record-keeping raises questions about the data’s reliability.
The study’s recommendations for improved data collection, including the comparison of ARRIVE and non-ARRIVE encounters, are crucial for assessing the program’s true impact and identifying areas for further refinement.
