Social workers instead of cops? Red Bank experiments with money from opioid settlement

Olivia Liu, Asbury Park Press
·4 min read
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RED BANK - The borough is testing a pilot program that would send social workers in the place of the police in certain incidences after receiving $73,562.67 from its share of a settlement in an opioid class-action lawsuit.

According to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago, about 1,500 people died of drug overdoses from 2011 to 2021 in Monmouth County.

Police Chief Darren McConnell said the borough, along with a number of other municipalities impacted by the opioid epidemic, had joined class action lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and distributors. That resulted in a settlement agreement whose funds were then distributed to those municipalities.

“Instead of using it for buying pamphlets or going to high schools and teaching classes, we wanted to find something a little more concrete,” McConnell said.

The borough hired P.U.L.S.S.E., a firm whose acronym stands for Proactive Union of Law Enforcement and Social Service Experts.

It is headed by two clinical social workers, Shante Middleton and Garyn Nathan.

Garyn Nathan, left, and Shante Middleton during a press conference for social services on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside borough hall in Red Bank, New Jersey. Nathan and Middleton are the founders of P.U.L.S.S.E., which the borough hired with funds from its opioid settlement agreement to assist the police when social services are needed.
Garyn Nathan, left, and Shante Middleton during a press conference for social services on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside borough hall in Red Bank, New Jersey. Nathan and Middleton are the founders of P.U.L.S.S.E., which the borough hired with funds from its opioid settlement agreement to assist the police when social services are needed.

Middleton said the firm came into being after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020 and they have been working with Sayreville, South River and South Amboy since the beginning of the year.

She said her firm, in conjunction with the police, has helped more than 300 people who were experiencing a wide range of issues including homelessness, mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence. McConnell said he plans on sending social workers to follow up on certain people.

“Overall, what our role is, is to really enhance the service, (deliver) the iconic police adage: to protect and serve,” she said.

Middleton said her firm’s goal is to reach out to certain people and get them services and reduce the use of police officers in certain incidences.

“Often time we come across these directories where there is a list of resources that are available, but sometimes there’s nobody on the other end of the phone or, if you’re not used to how to access services, it’s like you need someone to take you the length,” she said.

Mayor Billy Portman speaks at a press conference highlighting borough resources for the winter on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside Borough Hall in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Mayor Billy Portman speaks at a press conference highlighting borough resources for the winter on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside Borough Hall in Red Bank, New Jersey.

McConnell said the borough has a one-year contract with P.U.L.S.S.E.

“The measure that we’re going to use to see how successful it is, is the amount of repeat calls we get,” McConnell said.

He said the police department is aware of the people in need and the locations they frequent. He is hoping that by sending professional social workers instead of police officers, those people would get the help they need, which would in turn will reduce the number of calls to the police.

“Let the professionals who actually have the ability to properly deal with these individuals … do that,” he said.

Going forward, he is hoping to send the social workers with the firm, one of whom speaks Spanish, to follow-up meetings with the people his officers have encountered.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our use-of-force incidents are not necessarily related to crime,” McConnell said. Many are a result of people needing to go to the hospital who are in crisis and not cooperating.

“We’re trying to reduce that,” he said.

State Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, right, waits as Itzel Perez Hernandez translates the conference for winter resources into Spanish on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside borough hall in Red Bank, New Jersey.
State Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, right, waits as Itzel Perez Hernandez translates the conference for winter resources into Spanish on Thursday, October 26, 2023 outside borough hall in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Some of the services that help with food insecurity, housing and assistance applications in Red Bank include:

Pastor Steve Brown with the First Baptist Church said with the rising cost of housing, his church has been seeing more women attending their community dinners. The Heartwarming Center, which will provide a temporary place to live for women, will be opening on Nov. 15 due to the need.

“This is a caring community. We care about the least of these. Not just on the east side, not just on the west side. But we care about Red Bank. And we care about every citizen that comes through Red Bank, even though they may not have residence here. We care about their wellbeing. Because if we care about the least of these, that proves who we are as human beings,” Pastor Terrence Porter with the Pilgrim Baptist Church said.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Red Bank hires social workers to handle cases, ease burden on cops