Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae has announced that Cumberland County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) has been named the recipient of the CIT-NJ Program of the Year Award for 2023. The award recognizes the program’s exceptional leadership and collaboration in implementing the CIT model, a nationally acclaimed best practice that joins law enforcement, mental health professionals and advocates, and other partners to improve responses to mental health crises.
The 2023 Cumberland County Program was led by Mental Health CIT Coordinator, Elvira Smith, Law Enforcement CIT Coordinator, Ret. Cpt. Lene Bowers, and Prosecutor’s Community Justice CIT Coordinator, Amy Holmes.
“This award validates our Community Justice Unit’s effective approach to reimagining public safety and proves that collaboration across disciplines can be a force multiplier that maximizes benefit to those struggling with mental health in our community,” said Prosecutor Webb-McRae.
The 2023 Cumberland County CIT Program was supported by a planning committee of staff from the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, the Cumberland County Guidance Center, the County Department of Human Services, Vineland Police Department, Bridgeton Police Department, and New Jersey State Police.
Retired Police Chief Ed Dobleman, CIT-NJ’s Director, praised the Coordinators’ efforts: “Your program’s development and expansion of initiatives like ARRIVE Together, dispatcher CIT training, and Veterans Response Team training serve as valuable models as statewide crisis intervention efforts,” he said.
ARRIVE Together is a co-responder strategy, where a CIT-trained officer is paired with a CIT-trained crisis screener to assist with police responses to someone in crisis.
ARRIVE Together originated in Cumberland County in 2021 and is now a statewide initiative supported by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy. ARRIVE Together is one example of the CIT model in-practice.
The CIT model focuses on building strong communication networks between police departments and mental health systems, aiming to divert individuals from the justice system to mental health services when appropriate. The program provides in-depth knowledge about mental illnesses, crisis de-escalation skills, and access to community-based services, working to lower uses of force and improve the care provided by first responders.
To celebrate this achievement, the Cumberland CIT Program will be honored at a special award dinner during CIT-NJ’s upcoming conference in Atlantic City on October 28th at Caesars Hotel and Casino.
As the chief law enforcement agency in the county, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office’s mission is committed to enhancing public safety and improving service to the community through innovative leadership and effective law enforcement strategies like CIT and ARRIVE Together.
