Middlesex County commissioners used part of their meeting to recognize honors received by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and to describe a joint initiative pairing law enforcement with mental-health professionals.

The board announced that the Middlesex County prosecutor, identified in the meeting as Yolanda Chikomi, was recognized as Prosecutor of the Year by the New Jersey Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association at an awards ceremony attended by about 750 officers and guests. The prosecutor’s office also received a New Jersey Attorney General Initiative Award for excellence regarding a critical-incident model.

The county described the ARRIDE program, which pairs law enforcement with mental-health professionals, and explained the collaboration between the prosecutor’s office, the special operations response team (SORT) and hostage negotiation teams to work with partners from University Behavioral Health to respond to critical public-safety incidents. "Needless to say, this is a great honor and tribute to our prosecutor," a county official told the commissioners.

The remarks were presented as a commissioners’ report and celebration; the transcript does not show formal board action tied to these recognitions.