Guest Blog: Handle With Care Initiative

In October, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued a statewide directive requiring all police departments to implement the Handle With Care Program in an effort to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma that New Jersey school-aged children may experience.

This week’s guest blogger, Christopher A. Jakim, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, shares some information about the Handle With Care New Jersey Initiative and how this program will help children who struggle with ACEs.

All the best, 
Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ

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By Christopher A. Jakim, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration

Over the years, many of our concerted efforts to address substance abuse commonly deal with the negative consequences after one struggled through a journey of despair, addiction and sometimes death.  All too often, we are over reliant on emergency services, law enforcement, corrections and treatment as the response to a very complex issue.  Funding, policies, and programs, often well intended, direct finite resources towards reactive responses dealing with problem after problem while not looking at the root causes.

In an effort to address substance abuse and mental health issues upstream, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the NY/NJ HIDTA, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and the Middle Township Police Department joined efforts to implement the Handle With Care - New Jersey initiative.  The purpose of the program is to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma that is experienced by New Jersey school aged children. Examples of ACEs include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, substance abuse, and many other negative events that children may experience.  Extensive studies have shown that multiple ACEs throughout childhood can potentially have a devastating impact on the social, emotional and overall health of maturing children. A difficult childhood reduces life expectancy by 20 years among adults who experienced six or more ACEs.  Often times, drugs and alcohol become the coping mechanism to deal with toxic stress and trauma.

In 2017, the DEA and the NY/NJ HIDTA implemented the Handle With Care program in the City of Newark, NJ by collaborating with the Newark Police Department and the Newark Public Schools.  The program was adopted from the West Virginia Defending Childhood Initiative who pioneered the program in 2013.  It is designed to bring law enforcement and educators together to address ACEs.  It is a preventative initiative which focuses on the overall health and well-being of children by providing appropriate resources so that unattended trauma does not impede long term development and success. Its purpose is to prevent further problems by mitigating the negative effects of ACEs. 

When law enforcement encounters a child who was exposed to a traumatic event, they provide the child's school a notice informing them that the child should be handled with care. No details of the incident are included, simply the name and age of the child. The notice allows the school to have an awareness as to why the child may be acting out and appropriate resources can now be directed to the needs of the child.  Those resources include a trusted teacher, school nurse, counselor or social worker.

Through the combined efforts of numerous partners who saw the value of the program, the implementation and expansion progressed throughout numerous counties in the State.  On October 6, 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued a statewide directive requiring all police departments to implement the Handle With Care program.

With continued awareness and education amongst law enforcement, educators and the general public about the impact of ACEs and methods to mitigate its negative effects, we can all continue to strive to work upstream and invest in our youth’s future.

Notice: This article reflects the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ). This information should not be construed as legal advice from the author or PDFNJ. Please consult your own attorney before making any legal decisions

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