Sarah Bilotta ’25 and Criminal Justice Faculty Publish in NJ Police Chief Magazine

Members of the Department of Criminal Justice including Douglas Collier, M.A., DEA (Ret.), adjunct professor, Meg Forney, Ph.D., associate professor, and Sarah Bilotta '25, criminal justice graduate student and graduate assistant, recently published an article in the April edition of The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine.

The article, "New Jersey's Crisis Intervention Training: Does it Work?" examined Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training programs in law enforcement agencies within Monmouth and Ocean counties conducted between 2022-2025 to determine the effectiveness and validity of CIT.

CIT training includes a 40-hour course that teaches communication, de-escalation, and collaboration with mental health professionals. The study used surveys and focus groups with more than 280 officers to measure the program's impact.

Results showed that officers improved their understanding of mental illness and were more likely to slow down encounters and use de-escalation techniques instead of making arrests or hospitalizing individuals right away. Officers who completed the program reported feeling more confident and better prepared to handle situations involving people in crisis.

Researchers concluded that CIT ultimately reduces harm for officers and their community while enabling agencies to better support community members with mental health challenges.

"The New Jersey Police Chief," the official magazine of The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, is published 10 times during the year to serve the police leadership in New Jersey. The organization's mission is to promote and enhance the highest ethical and professional standards in law enforcement at all levels throughout New Jersey.