Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced the launch of the New Jersey Law Enforcement Wellness & Resiliency Grant, a new statewide initiative that will provide $500,000 in 2026 to support wellness programs for New Jersey’s police officers, civilian staff, retirees, and their families. The new grant program is administered through the Attorney General’s Office of Policing Strategy & Innovation (OPSI), which was created in 2024 to promote excellence in policing, elevate officer wellness, and develop forward-leaning strategies in partnership with law enforcement leaders.
Individual police agencies will be eligible for up to $50,000 to expand mental-health and wellness programming, including counseling, physical fitness services, annual wellness screenings, therapy animals, wellness-space upgrades, financial-literacy programming, and other initiatives that improve the wellbeing of agency personnel.
Funding for the program comes entirely from legal settlements, not taxpayer dollars. The Attorney General emphasized that resources recovered from corporate bad actors should be reinvested into efforts that support New Jersey communities and the officers who protect them.
“New Jersey has the finest law enforcement officers in the nation, men and women who serve with courage, professionalism, and deep commitment to their communities,” said Attorney General Platkin. “But that commitment comes with exposure to trauma, repeated high-stress situations, and the pressures of a profession where asking for help has not always been easy. Through OPSI, we have been listening to law enforcement leaders, visiting agencies doing innovative wellness work, and responding quickly to what they told us they need. This new Wellness & Resiliency Grant is a direct result of those conversations. It’s an investment in the people who keep our residents safe, and a recognition that supporting our officers, from hire to retire, is essential for attracting and retaining the next generation of public-safety professionals.”
The grant program stems directly from OPSI’s Law Enforcement Leadership Roundtables, including the recent statewide roundtable focused on wellness and resiliency. Chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and police union wellness leaders emphasized the growing need to normalize help-seeking and expand departmental support systems.
For many years, professions with similar exposure to trauma, such as emergency medical providers, have worked to reduce stigma around mental-health challenges, substance-use risks, financial stress, and family pressures. The law enforcement profession has historically carried greater stigma around seeking mental-health support with officers not reaching out for help until it is too late. The Attorney General emphasized that changing this culture is essential to attracting and retaining qualified officers and improving long-term wellness outcomes.
“OPSI was established to better support the needs of New Jersey’s law enforcement community and the mission of the Attorney General,” said Executive Director Abbassi. “We know that supporting officer wellness is not optional. This grant will give individual agencies the ability to create a customized approach to improving the wellbeing of their employees which, ultimately, strengthens the connection between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
Through conversations and site visits, the Attorney General has highlighted several departments pioneering new approaches, including:
- Paterson Police Department – Wellness walks and K-9-based stress-reduction initiatives.
- Newark Police Department – A dedicated wellness unit and new therapy K-9 “Hobbs.”
- Evesham Police Department – Annual wellness and mental-health check-ins for every officer.
- Gloucester Township Police Department – Department-wide wellness programming, including top-to-bottom psychological check-ins and therapy-animal support.
Agencies may apply for funding to support:
- Counseling and mental-health services
- Wellness, fitness, and resilience training
- Therapy animals and on-site wellness supports
- Wellness-space creation or renovation
- Wellness-related technology
- Financial-literacy programs
- Peer-support or department-wide wellness events
The initiative reinforces the Attorney General’s commitment to developing modern, professional, community-centered policing that supports both officers and the residents they serve.
Application details, guidance, and timelines can be found on OPSI’s webpage. Agencies are encouraged to develop proposals based on their specific workforce needs and wellness goals.