Police Union Declares ‘No Confidence’ At Essex County Prison

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An absentee director. Unpaid training. Improper promotions. Questionable deals with outside companies. Audio surveillance that allegedly violates state and criminal federal laws. These are some of the accusations that have led to a “no confidence” vote from police supervisors at the largest county prison in New Jersey, spokespeople say.

Earlier this week, a police union that represents sergeants, lieutenants, captains and investigators with the Essex County Department of Corrections announced that its members have taken a vote of no confidence in the county and DOC administration.

The Essex County DOC is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in New Jersey. It is responsible for overseeing the state’s largest county prison, the Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF) in Newark. See Related: Long-Awaited Review Offers Deep Dive Into Essex County Jail

“Our membership has spoken,” said retired Lt. James Troisi, vice-president of the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 106 (FOP106).

“An overwhelming majority of the sworn supervisory staff within the Essex County Correctional Facility literally voted their lack of confidence in the current administration’s ability to safely and effectively operate the facility,” Troisi said.

In addition to the above allegations, the union has also complained about ongoing violence at the prison, with victims including inmates and staff alike.

• See Related: Stabbing, Beating At Essex County Jail Is Only Tip Of Iceberg, Union Says
• See Related: Violence Continues At Essex County Prison: Inmate Death, Fires, Fights

The union accused Ron Charles, the current director of the Essex County Department of Corrections, of being “seldom if ever” actually at work since he returned from retirement to helm the department in 2022 – leaving many of his duties in the lap of a deputy director.

It was an accusation that Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. disputed.

“We have the utmost confidence in Director Ron Charles,” said DiVincenzo, whose responsibilities as county executive include the hiring and dismissal of staff.

“Ron gained his experience as a corrections officer in Essex County, worked his way up to become associate warden of our facility and was part of the team that helped end a 25-year federal consent order involving the ECCF,” DiVincenzo continued.

“[Charles] has an impeccable record of leadership both in Essex County and other corrections departments and has continued our tradition of earning 100 percent compliance from State Corrections inspections and maintaining accreditation from the American Correctional Association and National Commission on Correctional Health Care,” DiVincenzo attested. “In addition, he has successfully implemented comprehensive drug, alcohol and training programs to help inmates get their lives in order.”

“We have the highest regard and respect for the men and women who serve as corrections officers at our Essex County Correctional Facility,” DiVincenzo added. “Being a corrections officer can be a difficult and dangerous job, and our corps of officers do a tremendous job keeping our facility safe.”

• See Related: Prison Inmates In Essex County Get Job Training, Education
• See Related: NJ Students Earn Diplomas While Incarcerated In Essex County

DiVincenzo did not comment on other allegations put forth by the union. Some of them included:

PROMOTIONS

The union alleged that during the tenure of former warden Guy Cirillo, two staff members were promoted to the title of deputy warden, a rank that FOP106 does not represent.

“Both of those individuals were displaced when the Civil Service Commission found they were improperly promoted and directed the county to either return them to their permanent titles or initiate appropriate promotional procedures,” union spokespeople said.

“Interestingly, one of them is currently a co-defendant along with county and jail administrators in a multi-million-dollar sexual harassment case by a female officer that transferred to the Essex DOC from another law enforcement agency,” FOP106 spokespeople said. “That individual has since ‘retired’ after apparently accepting a plea agreement in a criminal matter also tied to the jail but distinctly separate from the civil harassment case.”

PERC RULING

The FOP106 also pointed to a ruling in May from the Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC), accusing county administrators of “refusing to act upon” the arbitrator’s decision involving promotions and duty assignments that are “contrary to negotiated agreements between the county and the union.”

The union said its members have been in litigation against the county since 2016 relative to what PERC found to be “unlawful actions” taken by the county administration in implementing a change in benefits for employees.

“We (FOP106) have won this case at every juncture,” union spokespeople said. “A PERC-appointed hearing examiner ruled in our favor. PERC affirmed those findings in a 5-0 vote of the Commission. An appellate division panel upheld PERC’s 3-0 in [our] favor. Yet none of our members have received any of the compensation they’re due.”

• See Related: Outraged Essex County Cops Demand Raises, Flood Board Meeting

PAID TRAINING

The union said that ongoing litigation against the county involving alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is also part of the reason for this week’s “no confidence” vote.

According to the FOP106:

“That lawsuit indicates that some 600 employees of the Essex DOC were ordered to training mandated by the New Jersey Attorney General and required to satisfy minimum accreditation standards by the American Correctional Association. Training that called for every officer to be in attendance multiple days, but they went months without being paid.”

“It was literally not until after we filed a federal lawsuit and a U.S. magistrate judge began demanding records that anyone was paid,” Troisi said. “We firmly believe that the director and chief of staff were attempting to hide how much overtime was needed across two fiscal quarters.”

VENDOR CONTRACTS

At the July meeting of the Essex County Board of County Commissioners, two resolutions related to corrections were introduced: one involving the renewal of an oversight contract awarded to The Ambrose Group, and the other for the Nakomoto Group to provide oversight of the correctional facility’s medical unit.

The medical and mental health departments within the jail have been operated by CFG Correctional Health for about 15 years, which led Troisi to question why taxpayers should “pay one outside vendor to supervise and report on another outside vendor.”

The Ambrose Group resolution was eventually postponed. The Nakomoto Group contract was approved, but multiple commissioners said it was out of concern that postponing that motion might somehow impede health care delivery or mental health services at the county prison.

• See Related: Staffing Woes Affect Mental Health Care At Essex County Prison, Report Says

AUDIO SURVEILLANCE

The union is also alleging that jail and county administrators are “violating state and federal criminal laws” by using audio surveillance within common areas of the facility.

“They placed a bunch of new cameras around the jail: in the cafeteria, the classrooms, immediately outside of our union office, the room where we hold our monthly union meetings,” Troisi said.

“The director and others assured us that although the cameras are audio capable, the audio is not connected,” Troisi alleged. “Then lo and behold, they start introducing audio recordings from those very cameras at disciplinary hearings.”

The union said if the cameras are not removed, its members will be pursuing criminal charges against the officials who allow them to remain in place.

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