Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has announced the creation of the New Jersey Law Enforcement Wellness & Resiliency Grant, a statewide initiative providing $500,000 in 2026 to fund wellness programs for police officers, civilian staff, retirees, and their families. The program will be managed by the Office of Policing Strategy & Innovation (OPSI), which was established in 2024 to enhance policing standards and officer wellness.
Individual law enforcement agencies can apply for up to $50,000 to expand mental health and wellness initiatives. These may include counseling services, physical fitness offerings, annual wellness screenings, therapy animals, improvements to wellness spaces, financial literacy programming, and other efforts aimed at improving personnel wellbeing.
The funding is sourced from legal settlements rather than taxpayer money. Attorney General Platkin emphasized the importance of reinvesting resources obtained from corporate wrongdoers into community support and public safety initiatives.
“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 emerged from OPSI’s Law Enforcement Leadership Roundtables focusing on wellness issues. Leaders such as chiefs of police and union representatives highlighted a growing need to encourage help-seeking behaviors among officers and broaden departmental support.
Historically in law enforcement there has been stigma around seeking mental health assistance; many officers delay seeking help until crises arise. The Attorney General stated that shifting this culture is necessary for recruiting qualified candidates and ensuring long-term positive 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.”
Departments cited as examples include Paterson Police Department’s stress-reduction walks with K-9s; Newark Police Department’s dedicated wellness unit; Evesham Police Department’s annual check-ins; and Gloucester Township Police Department’s comprehensive psychological evaluations.
Eligible uses for grant funds include counseling services; resilience training; therapy animals; renovation or creation of wellness spaces; technology upgrades related to wellbeing; financial literacy education; peer-support events; or agency-wide wellness activities.
The initiative aligns with Attorney General Platkin’s ongoing focus on modernizing policing practices while supporting both law enforcement professionals and local residents.
Application information will be provided so agencies can tailor proposals based on workforce needs.
The New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin serves as a state agency responsible for legal oversight across all counties in New Jersey. Its functions include upholding laws statewide through various divisions focused on justice administration such as legal representation for state interests,law enforcement regulation, crime laboratory support services,victim advocacy, consumer protection programs,and maintaining public safety through regulatory authority.More details about its operations are available online.
