Well, more than two years after it was first promised, Jersey City leaders have yet to deliver a program advocates say would be critical in crisis situations.

Establishing a mental health team where experts in the field are paired with police officers when responding to those calls.

The group Jersey City Together is calling on local officials to finalize the plan, telling Melissa Rose Cooper if it were in place a year ago, the program would have saved lives.

We remember Rodney King in Los Angeles, the beating that he endured.

We remember many others.

But George Floyd was a flashpoint that then said we have to mobilize.

We have to advocate for persons with mental health challenges and also with addiction.

And now, four years after George Floyd's death, members of Jersey City together are renewing calls for Jersey City leaders to create a mental health crisis response program.

We had already made the public Health Public Safety Committee to kind of work on neighborhood issues, gun violence and things that were really afflicting our city.

What happened then with George Floyd?

We really embraced the idea of retraining, working with police to get the proper training, to train with behavioral health specialists.

So together they could be the response to.

The need for the program hitting even closer to home.

After Jersey City police shot and killed Andrew Washington while responding to a mental health crisis last year.

We all know and understand that mental health is a real thing.

We need to destigmatize individuals through dealing with mental health issues.

We don't need to be, you know, throwing them to the wolves.

The city council previously approved a mental health crisis response program, but last year rejected a $4.2 million deal that would have allowed Jersey City Medical Center to operate it.

But it was only for five days and only for 8 hours a day.

And we know no one understand that mental health episodes don't have timing on it.

In fact, when Drew Washington was killed, it was on a Sunday, I believe.

Now the city council is working on a new request for a proposal that would offer mental health services around the clock.

But some people believe the process is taking too long.

The city council is taking its time as far as developing, you know, the RFP, what that plan will look like.

So while this is while dealing with mental health is a complex issue, generating this plan shouldn't necessarily be all that complex.

I mean, you know, the urgency is now.

And I would hope that the city council and the officials, you know, do something to speed that process up.

I don't want to do something just for the sake of saying that we've done something right.

It did to time.

It is very important.

We know and understand that the nuances to these type of programs are very intricate.

Right.

And we want to make sure we have the most comprehensive program that's available at our disposal.

So that's what we don't like.

While we want to take out some, we don't want to move that sort of speed.

We do want to do our due diligence, making sure again we create a good, comprehensive program, but we don't want to move it forward to we we don't want another individual losing their lives because we didn't have resources lined up for them to take.

The state of New Jersey has its own response program known as arrived together, now operating in all 21 counties, mental health professionals are paired with plain clothed officers when responding to mental health calls.

A spokesperson for the state attorney General's office, which heads arrive together, says they're looking forward to partnering with Jersey City to discuss how to implement similar mental health services there.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Melissa Cooper.