First program of its’ kind in the nation hits milestone number of calls with Cop2Cop helpline

TRENTON, NJ — Cop2Cop, one of the nation’s first state mandated law enforcement, crisis helpline programs, announced that it has received 20,000 calls since the helpline launched in 2000. The 24-hour confidential helpline is available to New Jersey law enforcement officers and their families.

Cop2Cop, staffed by retired police officers and specially trained mental health professionals, is a program of the New Jersey Department of Personnel with services provided by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/University Behavioral Health Care.

“All of the Cop2Cop staff feels very lucky to be on the other end of the phone call to hear the resilience and the sacrifice that the New Jersey police officers make every day. For us the 20,000 th call has not become routine or predictable,” said Cherie Castellano, Director of Cop2Cop. “We remain dedicated to go on for another 20,000 more calls because we know we are helping to change lives,” she said.

Since its inception in 2000, Cop2Cop has received more than 20,236 calls, with an increase in calls since last year. Additionally, 65 suicides have been averted since the helpline was activated. Cop 2 Cop provides services such as peer support, clinical assessments for officers and their families, referrals to a police clinical network provider and critical incident, stress management services.

According to the National Police Suicide Foundation, the numbers of deaths due to suicide are two to three times the number of line of duty deaths among law enforcement agencies and emergency workers. Additionally, about 450 law enforcement officers' have committed suicide in each of the last three years, compared with about 150 officers who died annually in the line of duty. More than two percent of the nation's law enforcement agencies have suicide prevention programs.

“With about 2 percent of the nation’s law enforcement agencies having a suicide prevention program, it is clear that programs like Cop2Cop are desperately needed for our law enforcement community,” said Personnel Commissioner Rolando Torres, Jr.

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The mission of the New Jersey Department of Personnel is to attract, develop and retain a high quality workforce for State, county and municipal governments and to partner with management and labor to develop a fair, efficient human resource delivery system rewarding quality, merit, and productivity.