Morris County Prosecutor, Sheriff host summit and tour of correctional facility with Morris County Chapter of the NAACP
MORRIS COUNTY, NJ – Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, and Sergeant Patrick LaGuerre, Undersheriff Mark Spitzer, Undersheriff Alan Robinson, Chief Warrant Officer Jack Ambrose, Warden Christopher Klein, and other members of Morris County law enforcement joined executive members of the Morris County Chapter of the NAACP for a tour of the Morris County Correctional Facility.
The tour was part of an ongoing effort to build community rapport and maintain an open dialogue on law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Participating in this tour and summit for the Morris County NAACP were NJSCNAACP 3rd Vice President and NAACP Morris County Branch President Vanessa Brown, 1st Vice President Ottawana Anderson, 3rd Vice President Lance Mann, Morris County Correctional Facility Chaplain and Chairman/Criminal Justice for the Morris County NAACP Rev. Herman Scott, Chair of Legal Redress Robert Warrington, Esq., and member Helen Arnold.
Prosecutor Carroll and Sheriff Gannon explained the facility’s procedures and programs; how Crisis Intervention Training brings law enforcement, first responders and mental health professionals together to provide a more effective response to those who are dealing with a mental or behavioral health crisis, the Community Connections Program; the Hope One mobile recovery access unit and the Hope Wing within the MCCF, Juvenile Justice Reform; and other critical topics.
They also noted that the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office have both been recently re-accredited by independent state evaluators, a testament to their commitment to best practices.
The NAACP executive membership inquired as to the facility’s population and operations, and how MCPO and MCSO recruitment worked.
“It is critically important that our community and faith leaders are not only informed of the major criminal justice reforms made in the last four years, but that they also have the opportunity to see the affects these changes are having in the community, as well as in law enforcement. The vital need to protect our citizens from violent or dangerous individuals will always be the tantamount goal of law enforcement, but that goal can coincide within these recent reforms. My office strives to keep the lines of communication open, and I look forward to future conversations and exchanges,” Carroll said.
The Morris County Correctional Facility is six-story building of 157,478-square-feet of space. The structure includes eight housing pods totaling 277 cells with a maximum capacity of 524 inmates. There is a full-service kitchen, laundry, administrative offices, K-9 kennels, intake/processing area, staff training room, religious, educational and exercise facilities, and a medical unit.
“Opened in 2000, the MCCF is modern, held to the highest standards of safety, and offers an array of programs to address substance abuse, anger management, and the educational and medical needs of inmates, assisting them with the goal of leading law-abiding lives upon discharge. I am very proud of the vigilance of Correctional Facility officers and staff who ensure, every single day, that the facility is secure and clean, and that inmates are guaranteed humane, lawful and safe treatment,” Gannon said.
