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Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. < Back New TRIAD senior wristband program debuts Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. Previous Next Sheriff Michael F. Strada is pleased to announce a new program being offered to senior citizens in our county. Upon request, Sussex County TRIAD will now provide black and gold silicone wristbands to every senior citizen of Sussex County free of charge. The bands are engraved with “SC Sheriff 973-579-0888” and a registration number. That number will be used to register all participating senior citizens with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office should the senior citizen be unable to communicate with emergency personnel. The TRIAD organization will obtain and keep secure the following from the senior citizen: name, address, phone number, emergency contact persons and the senior’s physician information. This information will be available to assist any police, fire and EMS agency by calling the telephone number on the band and giving the dispatcher the registration number. This will assist any first responder in identifying a senior citizen in need who may be unable to communicate with the responder. Several businesses and individual donors have come forward to sponsor the cost of the program. The successful implementation of this program was made possible, in large part, thanks to the generous donations of the following Sussex County businesses: The Senior Quality of Life Foundation (SEQUAL) Smith-McCracken Funeral Home The Morville Agency, a Division of Bollinger Insurance Illiff-Ruggiero Funeral Home The Mitchell Agency If you are interested in learning more about the TRIAD program or are interested in sponsoring the wristband program, please contact Hilary Manser at the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office at 973.579.0850, ext. 2114. From l to r: Louis R. Ruggiero, CEO Iliff-Ruggiero Funeral Home and SEQUAL trustee; Maryann Fox, SEQUAL trustee; Tom Caines, SEQUAL president and trustee; Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada; Maryanne Klenke, SEQUAL trustee; Lorraine Hentz, SEQUAL trustee; Cindy Peterson, SEQUAL treasurer and trustee; and Denise Minimi, SEQUAL secretary and trustee.

Arrested: David M. Ireland, age 32, of Augusta, NJ. < Back Driver using cell phone leads to DWI arrest Arrested: David M. Ireland, age 32, of Augusta, NJ. Previous Next On Thursday, September 5, 2013, while assigned to patrol duties within the borough of Branchville, Sheriff’s Officer John Swords observed David Ireland talking on a cell phone while driving through Branchville. Officer Swords initiated a motor vehicle stop and interviewed Mr. Ireland. Upon further investigation, Officer Swords determined Ireland was intoxicated. Officer Swords arrested Ireland and transported him to the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office for processing. Ireland was charged with the following offenses: driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle while using a portable electronic device and possession of an open container/alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle. He was given a future court date to appear in Branchville Borough Municipal Court and released to the care of a responsible party. Sheriff’s Officer Samantha Schilling and Sergeant John Gray assisted in the arrest.

Sussex County Sheriff Michael F. Strada and Sussex County Communications Director Mark Rozek announce the promotion of Shannon Quinn and Brian Cannon to the position of Supervising Public Safety Telecommunicator < Back Promotions to Supervising Public Safety Telecommunicators Sussex County Sheriff Michael F. Strada and Sussex County Communications Director Mark Rozek announce the promotion of Shannon Quinn and Brian Cannon to the position of Supervising Public Safety Telecommunicator Previous Next A brief ceremony was held on July 26th that was attended by close family and co-workers. Shannon Quinn has been a PST with the Sussex County Communications Center since February 3, 2016. She was promoted to Senior PST on June 15, 2020. She is an APCO Certified Training Officer (CTO), APCO certified Communications Center Supervisor (CCS) and recently completed Spillman Application Administrator (SAA) training. Shannon has an Associate’s Degree from Sussex County Community College and has also completed a Crisis Management course and several ICS courses. Shannon has received 8 CPR Lifesaving awards since 2018. Brian Cannon has been a PST with the Sussex County Communications Center since July 16, 2015. He was promoted to Senior PST on June 15, 2020. He is an APCO Certified Training Officer (CTO), APCO certified Communications Center Supervisor (CCS) and an experienced Spillman Application Administrator (SAA) and is knowledgeable in the county’s GIS system. Brian has a Bachelor’s of Art in Emergency and Disaster Management from the American Military University and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He is also a CPR Instructor and has completed several ICS courses. Brian has received 5 CPR Lifesaving awards since 2018. Sheriff Strada states “Telecommunicators are the first ones to receive emergency calls and often times save lives over the phone by giving medical direction to those in need. They all do a terrific job, often times handling extremely stressful emergency calls while remaining calm and professional to ensure the proper resources are sent to those in need. Brian and Shannon bring experience, dedication, and commitment to the organization and are well deserving of this promotion.” Photo: Left to Right – Sheriff Michael F. Strada, Supervising PST Brian Cannon, Supervising PST Shannon Quinn & Director Mark Rozek

Sheriff Strada praises the efforts of those involved in preparing for and assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. < Back Sheriff's office challenged by weather Sheriff Strada praises the efforts of those involved in preparing for and assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Previous Next There is an old adage that warns about relaxing during the calm before a storm. In the days immediately preceding Hurricane Sandy’s attack on New Jersey, however, the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office was a virtual hotbed of activity. In anticipation of the storm, Sheriff Strada ordered his deputy emergency management coordinators to meet with the county fire marshal, county administrator, and various other representatives of county government along with all of the police chiefs, fire chiefs, each of the municipal OEM coordinators, and emergency medical service personnel from the first aids squads throughout the county to discuss plans for the county’s coordinated response to Hurricane Sandy. Vacations and leave times for essential personnel were cut short or cancelled outright and the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was proactively placed on generator power to ensure no breaks in emergency communications. Then came the storm. We all know what followed. Trees uprooted or felled throughout the county, structural damage to many homes, main roads closed, approximately 90% of Sussex County without power, residents scrambling for generators, families without water and customers waiting on 3-hour lines for fuel. This was the challenging environment the Sheriff’s Office functioned in during the days which followed. In addition to their regular patrol duties, including checks on the welfare of affected citizens, providing security to both the county jail and Superior Court, and the transportation of certain displaced residents to and from emergency shelters, Sussex County sheriff’s officers were also assigned to the Sussex County EOC from the onset of Hurricane Sandy until the close of recovery operations. At first glance, the EOC looked like a smaller version of NASA’s mission control. Multiple computer terminals, each designated to an operator assigned to a specific task, lined the desks. At each desk, a representative of one of the branches of county government fielded telephone calls and disseminated information to the other branches. To the front of the room, multiple screens provided information regarding relevant news, weather and situational data. Members of the Sheriff’s Office, Sussex County Administrator John Eskilson, along with representatives from the county departments of environmental and public health services, engineering and planning, human services, central and shared services, as well as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), joined liaisons from the utility companies, the American Red Cross and other community professionals involved in preparedness, monitoring, response and recovery. They all filled the room each day to assist in the coordination of the county’s response to Hurricane Sandy. Sheriff’s officers assigned to that post were responsible for handling requests for assistance and material from municipalities and attempting to obtain those materials from the state OEM. Additionally, they assisted in forwarding important topical information to the county to be continuously updated on the Sussex County web site and forwarded road closure and power failure information to representatives from Jersey Central Power and Light (JCPL&L). Beginning roughly forty-eight hours after Hurricane Sandy raged through Sussex County, sheriff’s officers, along with law enforcement personnel from several other local police agencies, began patrolling and monitoring gas stations throughout Sussex County to ensure proper distribution of fuel and to prevent civil unrest. Sheriff’s officers remained around the clock at the American Red Cross shelter located at the Sussex County Technical School for the duration of its operation. They were there to supervise the security and safety of the approximately 800 displaced Sussex County residents who had utilized that shelter during the state of emergency. Additionally, sheriff’s officers transported and distributed equipment and supplies to the American Red Cross shelter located at the Hopatcong high school which aided in excess, of 7,000 displaced residents throughout the storm. Sheriff’s officers were also tasked with escorting representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) throughout the county to assess the damage from the storm. As much of the county lost power, the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility was no exception. The jail was without direct power for approximately three days. During that time, sheriff’s corrections officers maintained security, order, and continued the day-to-day operations of overseeing approximately 190 incarcerates with limited back-up power. Throughout the recovery, members of the Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Sussex County OEM continued to distribute ice and water to local OEM coordinators so that it could be distributed to their town’s residents. During the storm and its aftermath, over 13,500 cases of bottled water, 4,370 bags of ice and over 1,200 sandbags were distributed throughout the county for residents in need. Sheriff Strada would like to sincerely thank the following groups for all of their assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Local and county dispatchers, the Sussex County Fire Marshal, township chiefs of police and chiefs of fire departments, municipal OEM coordinators, volunteer fire and EMS personnel throughout the county, elected government officials from the town, county, state, and federal levels, public works departments at both the municipal and county levels, the Sussex County departments of environmental and public health services, engineering and planning, human services, central and shared services, CERT, FEMA, representatives of both local power companies, the volunteers of the American Red Cross, all local and state level law enforcement officers, and the men and women of the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, bureaus of both law enforcement and corrections.

Sergeant Krista Galante was named the 2018 New Jersey JSMART (Judicial Security Management Response Team) Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. < Back Sergeant named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Sergeant Krista Galante was named the 2018 New Jersey JSMART (Judicial Security Management Response Team) Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Previous Next Recently, Sergeant Krista Galante was named the 2018 New Jersey JSMART (Judicial Security Management Response Team) Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. JSMART is a cooperative effort between the 21 sheriff’s offices of New Jersey, the United States Marshals Service, the New Jersey State Police, and the Court & Judicial Security Unit of the state judiciary which is responsible for the provision of a statewide task force to protect the judiciary and the maintenance of a statewide protective intelligence database. Sgt. Galante has been with the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office since 2003, serving in both the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of Law Enforcement. Since JSMART’s inception in 2015, Sgt. Galante has been a core committee member, ultimately being named JSMART statewide communications coordinator in 2017, a role in which she still currently serves. Sheriff Strada congratulates Sgt. Galante on her well deserved recognition and wishes her continued success in her career. Sgt. Krista Galante pictured with Robin Morante, State of NJ Superior Court Chief of Court & Judicial Security.

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Arrested: Robert J. Slater, age 26, of Ogdensburg, NJ. < Back Man arrested at courthouse after attempting to fake drug test Arrested: Robert J. Slater, age 26, of Ogdensburg, NJ. Previous Next On Monday, March 21, 2011, Robert Slater was arrested by Sheriff’s Officer Johnny Swords after allegedly attempting to defraud the administration of a court ordered drug test. Sheriff’s Officer Swords took Slater into custody and, upon further investigation, discovered an outstanding municipal court warrant against him. Slater was charged with attempting to defraud the administration of a drug test and lodged in the Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail.

CERT praised for its efforts during the past year’s disasters. < Back Sheriff honors CERT members at holiday gathering CERT praised for its efforts during the past year’s disasters. Previous Next On Saturday, December 17, 2011, Sheriff Michael F. Strada attended the Sussex County CERT Team’s holiday party and presented several members of the team with Certificates of Appreciation and Exceptional Service Awards for their efforts during the past year’s disasters. The purpose of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is to train citizens to be better prepared for disasters. The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office, Division of Emergency Management adopted the program in 2004. That year, 21 citizens were trained in the core components of the program and the Sussex County CERT was established. Presently, the Sussex County CERT program has approximately 200 members with an active core group of 40 members. The team conducts monthly training and holds one full-scale exercise every year. During Hurricane Irene, CERT assisted in shelter operations in which 22 CERT members covered over 445 hours of those operations, several of whom worked in excess of 51 hours. They also deployed during Tropical Storm Lee and the October 29, 2011 snowstorm to assist in shelter operations for the extended power outages. Sheriff Strada, in praising the volunteers for their hard work, said “these members are volunteers who are dedicated to training and preparedness for the citizens of Sussex County.” He asked for their continued support of the CERT program and issued an open invitation to county residents, saying “we are always looking for volunteers and welcome anyone from the county who would like to join our CERT team.” Interested persons should contact Sgt. George Arnot at 973.579.0875, ext. 2300.

SLAP The Sussex County Sheriff’s Office offers the Sheriffs Labor Assistance Program (SLAP) to certain non-violent offenders sentenced to a term supervised by the Sussex Sheriff’s Office. This program has been highly successful and is explained in sections listed below. Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program (SLAP) The SLAP program is a community-based labor program that provides a structured alternative to incarceration for persons sentenced by Sussex County Courts. Persons sentenced to SLAP are able to pay their dept to society by performing moderate levels of manual labor. This enables them to maintain employment, provide for their families and continue to be productive members of society while satisfying their sentence. Offenders are prudently screened and only those with nonviolent, minor offenses are admitted into the program. Participants are required to follow all rules and regulations or face having their SLAP sentence revoked. At that time, they may be required to serve the remainder of their sentence in jail. SLAP participants provide non-skilled manual labor to nonprofit public and private agencies at no cost. Many organizations within Sussex County use the program regularly. SLAP participants are supervised by armed Officers at all times and are never left at jobs sites without supervision. Work that cannot be done by SLAP participants: SLAP does not work at private companies, personal homes or areas that are deemed unsafe by Sheriff's Office personnel. SLAP participants are not allowed to operate power tools such as chain saws and riding lawnmowers. Participants are not allowed to climb ladders that are over 10 feet off the ground. Participants cannot enter rivers, lakes or other bodies of water. Participants cannot remove poison ivy, oak, sumac, etc. Nonprofit Sussex County agencies seeking to enlist SLAP participants for a specified project must submit all requests in writing on organization letterhead. The request should detail the work that you would like done, where it is located and who the contact person is. Written requests should be sent to the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office at 39 High Street, Newton, NJ 07860. All jobs must be checked prior to starting; a representative from the SLAP program will check the job site prior to beginning a project. You will also be required to fill out a work request form stating the type of services requested, that form will be provided by the Officer who will contact you for final approval. Please note the following: SLAP does not dispose of garbage collected; it is the requesting agency’s responsibility to arrange for pickup. All equipment that is needed for a job has to be provided by the requesting agency (i.e., rakes, shovels, push mowers, garbage bags etc.). For further information about SLAP, contact Corporal James Aumick or Corporal Brian Snyder at 973-579-0875 ext. 2307

Arrested: Alfred E. Bremel, age 18, of Wantage, NJ. < Back Motor vehicle stop in Frankford results in passenger’s arrest for drugs Arrested: Alfred E. Bremel, age 18, of Wantage, NJ. Previous Next On Saturday, December 28, 2013, while assigned to countywide DWI enforcement as part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” statewide campaign, Sheriff’s Officer Scott Haggerty observed a silver colored Dodge sedan failing to maintain its lane while traveling along Haggerty Road in Frankford Township. Officer Haggerty pulled the vehicle over and approached to speak with the driver. Upon speaking with the driver, Officer Haggerty immediately detected the obvious odor of marijuana from within the vehicle. Further investigation revealed one of the vehicle’s passengers, Alfred E. Bremel, to be in possession of a quantity of marijuana. Additionally, Bremel claimed ownership of a quantity of alcohol which was also in the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was issued a summons for failure to maintain lane and Bremel was arrested, transported to the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office for processing, and subsequently released. Alfred E. Bremel was charged with the following offenses: possession of alcohol under the legal age, possession of marijuana in an amount less than 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bremel was given a future court date to appear in Frankford Township Municipal Court. Sheriff’s Officer Warren Slahor assisted in the arrest.

Directions/Map Keogh-Dwyer Correctional Facility 41 High Street Newton, NJ 07860 From Northern NJ Take Route 80 West to Exit 25 (Route 206 North). Stay on Route 206 North for approximately 11 miles, to Newton. Route 206 North turns into Main Street as you approach downtown Newton. Take Main Street to the end. Turn left at the traffic light onto Spring Street (the square is on the left). From Spring Street, turn left onto High Street. You will see the Sussex County Judicial Center on your right. The jail is located directly behind the center, adjacent to the parking garage. From Trenton and Southern NJ Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 127 (Route 287 North). From Route 287 North, take Exit 22B (Route 206 North). Proceed with step 2 from the Northern NJ directions above. From Southwest NJ Take the New Jersey Turnpike North to Exit 10 (Route 287 North). From Route 287 North, take Exit 22B (Route 206 North). Proceed with step 2 from the Northern NJ directions above.

The week-long training program, sponsored by the Department of Justice, was held in Aurora, Colorado. < Back Sheriff Strada attends national jail administration program The week-long training program, sponsored by the Department of Justice, was held in Aurora, Colorado. Previous Next Sheriff Michael Strada recently completed a week long training program on jail administration at the National Institute of Corrections in Aurora, Colorado. The training focused on administrative responsibilities including managing risk, policies and procedures, determining staffing needs, managing the workforce, managing inmate behavior, the external role of the jail administrator, and assessing jail operations. One of just twenty participants from throughout the United States selected to attend this nationally recognized program, Sheriff Strada said it was an honor to be chosen. “Whenever you have an opportunity to attend training at this level, it is invaluable. I was able to learn from the best instructors in the nation. The training and networking enables you to look at your jail operations and see if there is anything that you can change to make sure you are running a safe, efficient, and effective operation.” The National Institute of Corrections is a federal agency within the Department of Justice. It was founded in 1977 and serves as a resource for state and local corrections. Training, transportation and living expenses were paid for by the U.S. Department of Justice.