Peer Support Certification Program for RPO's

Working together with our partners, the Rutgers Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience (Miller Center) has developed a peer-to-peer officer support program designed for the needs of local police departments. RPOs are tasked with providing peer support that can be essential and effective for wellness strategies to mitigate these challenges and build resiliency. These programs encourage officers to share occupational stressors with their law enforcement peers in a structured setting and can connect officers with other community mental health resources. Positive impacts on those who receive peer support include increased hopefulness, better social functioning, and improved quality of life.

Beginning January 2025, the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Police Training Commission (PTC) approved a 40-Hour Certification Training for Peer Mentoring. Additionally, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) approved funding for this vital support for the RPOs represented in those 7 Northern County’s. The County’s MRTs are supportive leaders that will assist with coordinating this training and education. Since each RPO has already completed the12 hours (2-days) of Resiliency training, there is only a need for the remaining 24 hours (3-days) training to complete the PTC Certification Program.

We will provide one full 40-hour Peer Certification training for a class of Firefighters, EMTs, and Healthcare First Responders.