Morris County Sheriff's Office Hope One Mobile Outreach Program Expands To Municipal Court
Published on March 04, 2020
The Morris County Sheriff's Office Hope One mobile substance abuse resource and recovery program is expanding its outreach to Municipal Court defendants, beginning on March 5 outside Parsippany Municipal Court.
Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, second from left, with a Hope One team on New Year's Eve 2019 in Morristown.
The foray into Municipal Court “ where people accused of non-indictable crimes, motor vehicle offenses and ordinance violations resolve tickets “ is an effort to assist individuals struggling with addiction and mental health disorders at the lowest court rung, before legal troubles potentially spin out of control.
Since the program's launch on April 3, 2017, Hope One teams have made 401 stops in the community and tallied 10,537 contacts.
A Hope One team comprised of Morris County Sheriff's Office Corporal Erica Valvano, who oversees the program; a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist from the Center for Addiction Recovery, Education & Success (CARES), and a Social Worker from the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris will be outside Parsippany Municipal Court on Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m., in Hope One's distinctive white and purple vehicle.
The team's pressure-free approach involves inviting individuals to be trained for free in the administration of Narcan to temporarily reverse an opioid-induced overdose. The team assists individuals with navigating resources and treatment options for managing and overcoming addiction and mental health challenges.
Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon inside the Hope One mobile addiction recovery and resource vehicle.
Since April 3, 2017, Hope One has trained 2,282 people in the use of Narcan, assisted 165 people with accessing recovery and rehab programs and another 135 individuals with accessing mental health services.
By expanding Hope One's outreach to Municipal Courts, we can reach and help a broader population of people who may be “ because of mental health and substance use disorders “ entangled in petty crimes or behaviors that can destroy their lives if not addressed early on, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.
Hope One's goals, the Sheriff said, are to help individuals stop life-threatening behaviors, follow healthier paths free of illicit drugs, and reduce crime associated with drug habits.
Hope One was first proposed by Sheriff Gannon, who developed partnerships with Daytop New Jersey, CARES, the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, and the Morris County Department of Human Services. A defunct SWAT vehicle was retrofitted by using $15,000 in drug forfeiture funds, and a calendar was developed that called for Hope One to make at least two visits a week to communities and neighborhoods where at-risk populations congregated and overdoses and drug transactions were known to be occurring.
A Hope One team outside Nourish, a community soup kitchen, in Morristown.
Mental Health Association Executive Director Robert Davison said he expects the expansion to be successful.
Responding to the opiate crisis requires close cooperation with local municipalities to ensure that we get their input and benefit from their experience and leadership. Hope One and the Parsippany Municipal Court working together can only benefit the citizens of Morris County. Sheriff Gannon and his team continue to foster a team environment and a can-do attitude, Mr. Davison said.
Since its launch, the Morris County Sheriff's Office has helped the city of Newark, Cape May, Atlantic, Monmouth and Burlington counties start their own Hope One mobile programs, with Hudson and Somerset counties among additional areas considering similar programs.
In October 2019, Sheriff Gannon and founding Hope One partners received an award for their public-private venture from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the largest professional association of police leaders in the world.