Committee backs Cop2Cop funding to expand peer-support services for officers

The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee released S1233, which would appropriate $500,000 to support Cop2Cop, New Jersey's confidential peer-support and crisis-intervention program for law-enforcement officers and their families.

Stephen Holmes, appearing for Cop2Cop, told the committee the program launched in 2001 and now handles thousands of contacts a year: "In 2025, New Jersey lost 18 police officers to suicide," he said and reported that Cop2Cop made 7,995 contacts in 2025 and anticipates a 36% rise in demand this year. Holmes said the existing $400,000 annual appropriation has not increased in more than two decades and that additional funding would allow Cop2Cop to expand prevention work, staff a second 24-hour peer, improve clinical coordination and deploy critical-incident responses more broadly.

Sabrina Howard Mills, a retired officer and certified peer-support specialist, described direct intervention work and underlined confidentiality and practical peer-to-peer support. "Cop to cop gives hope," she told senators, describing in-person and academy outreach and the program's role in preventing crises.

Committee members praised the program and on the motion to release S1233 recorded affirmative votes; the bill was released. Witnesses asked for continuing investment to match rising demand and more sustainable operating funding rather than short-term grants.