MORRIS COUNTY — “A site-based assessment team from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®), will examine all aspects of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office policy and procedures, management, operations, and support services, starting on Monday, October 21,” stated Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon.

Verification by the team that the Morris County Sheriff’s Office meets the Commission’s state-of-the-art standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation — a highly prized recognition of public safety professional excellence, Sheriff Gannon said.

As part of the assessment, agency personnel and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Tuesday, October 22 at 3:00 p.m. The session will be conducted in the Freeholders Public Meeting Room located on the Fifth Floor of the County of Morris Administration & Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.

If for any reason an individual cannot speak at the public information session but would still like to provide comments to the assessment team, he/she may do so by telephone. The public may call (973) 285-6053 on Tuesday, October 22 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 Noon.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to ten minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with CALEA Standards. A copy of the standards is available at the main Sheriff’s Office located in the Morris County Courthouse, 56 Washington Street, Morristown.

The local contact is Accreditation Manager Detective/Captain Denise Thornton at (973) 285-6675.

Persons wishing to offer written comments about the Morris County Sheriff’s Office’s ability to meet the standards for accreditation are requested to write: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA®), 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office has to comply with 361 standards in order to gain accredited status, Sheriff Gannon said.

“The Morris County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Law Enforcement first achieved prestigious CALEA Accreditation in 1998 and has continued to maintain excellence and compliance with Accreditation standards that have increased in number over the past two decades.  Accreditation helps to ensure consistency in top-level service and accountability to the public,” Sheriff Gannon said.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office was first accredited in March of 1998 when the agency was found to be in compliance with 337 standards. The agency was re-accredited in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012 and again in 2016.

Accreditation is for four years, during which the agency must submit annual reports, and participate in annual remote web-based assessments attesting continued compliance with those standards under which it was initially accredited.

For more information regarding the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. please write the Commission at 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320 Gainesville, Virginia 20155; or call (703) 352-4225 or email calea@calea.org.

MORRIS COUNTY — On Thursday, October 10  at the Public Safety Training Academy, Morris County First Assistant Prosecutor Thomas A. Zelante, on behalf of Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, joined Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, Butler Police Chief Ciro Chimento, President of the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, and other Morris County law enforcement and school officials to announce the launch of a free mobile app called RSVP-3 Morris County, NJ. Students, school staff and parents can use the free app to anonymously report threats to school safety and behavior that could disrupt classroom security, such as bullying, harassment, substance abuse or potential violence.

RSVP-3 – which stands for Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, Protection – is a component of a multi-faceted program between the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, in response to recent school shootings that that occurred in our country.

The mobile app is live and can be downloaded as follows:

• Go to the Google Play store or Apple App Store on your mobile device.
• Search for RSVP-3 Morris County.
• Once installed, open the application
• Enter a unique four-digit passcode that you will remember and use as a login.

Tips to the app are monitored by law enforcement professionals working cooperatively with school officials in real-time, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Funding for the app was made possible by the Morris County Sheriff’s Crimestoppers program, and the behavioral threat assessment curriculum on behalf of the Morris County Board of Freeholders and the federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).

“The app is a tool that students, who may not be comfortable reporting disturbing information in person, can reliably inform the police and school personnel to avert a tragedy,” Sheriff Gannon said.

First Assistant Prosecutor Thomas A. Zelante said the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office congratulates Sheriff Gannon, Chief Chimento and Morris County Sheriff’s Crimestoppers Chairman John Sette, and the other law enforcement officials involved in launching this important preventive step. First Assistant Prosecutor Zelante said “This app will save children from injury and the after-effects of injuries.”

Also speaking at the announcement were Assemblyman Anthony Bucco, Morris County Freeholder Deputy Director Heather Darling, Chairman John Sette of the Morris County Sheriff’s Crimestoppers, Sheriff’s Investigator Ashley Craig, Denville Superintendent of Schools Steve Forte, and retired Denville Police Chief Christopher Wagner.

MORRIS COUNTY — Republican nominee for Morris County Surrogate, Heather Darling is poised to be Morris County’s first female Surrogate.  Darling, currently serving as Deputy Director of the Morris County Freeholder Board, has long viewed holding public office as a way to inspire civic involvement among young women and girls.

“Growing up, I could not imagine many of the opportunities available to young girls today. If elected to the Surrogates office, I will use my platform to inspire civic involvement among young girls in Morris County.” Stated Darling. “Throughout my time in time in politics, I have seen great strides forward, with young women and girls getting more involved in politics and public life, and I hope to continue the forward momentum by being elected as Morris County’s next Surrogate.”

Darling’s addition to the Morris County Freeholder Board made history as, at the time, Darling became the fourth woman to join the board of seven and, for the first time in history, women held the majority of the seats on the board.

Politics is not the first time in Darling’s life that she has inspired women and girls.  Darling was a competitive athlete long before women’s sports were as popular as they are today.  Darling proudly recounts that women would often come to her with stories of how she motivated them to pursue their own goals or dreams and the sense of pride she experienced as a result inspiring the success of other women.  Darling believes that the efforts of her predecessors, as well as those of she and her peers, are significant contributors to the fact that today women enjoy significant opportunities in professional sports.

If Darling is elected, she will be sworn into office in January of 2020, nearly 100 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Clerk’s Passport Department has expanded its service to provide photos for passports & visas from 50 countries outside of the United States, according to Morris County Clerk Ann F. Grossi.

“While we only process United States passport applications, we are happy to provide a convenient location to help those in our community who need this service” said County Clerk Grossi. Our system is designed with the software that meets the regulations required by these countries. The cost for the foreign passport and visa photo is $10.00, just like that charged for the United States photos. Click here to see if your country is on the list.

Follow the Morris County Clerk’s Office on Facebook & Instagram for more updates and services offered to our community. The Morris County Clerk’s Office is located in the Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, 1st Floor, Morristown, NJ 07960.

More information and hours of operation can be found by clicking here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Several months ago, a chance encounter between Project Help’s Executive Director Sandy Mitchell and IBEW Local 102 Treasurer Dave Fiore led to the decision for the union to support the veterans’ charity through their annual IBEW Bike Run and Car Show.

The event, held on the hottest day of the year, took off with a roar of Harley Davidson bikes, ending at IBEW’s Parsippany headquarters.  Not unexpectedly, the heat led to fewer participants than years past, but that didn’t dampen the high spirits of the riders. With fantastic food, awesome tricky tray and silent auction raffles, and rock and roll music playing to keep the crowd moving, the IBEW crew worked through the heat to ensure that everyone had a great time.

At the end of the day, the unofficial tally of funds raised was quietly mentioned to be $30,000.

“I almost fainted when I heard that number,” said Sandy Mitchell, Project Help founder and Executive Director, “but I decided not to believe my ears and waited for the official count from Dave.”

Word recently came down to Mitchell that after some last-minute donations, the total amount raised for Project Help was $33,750, which she called a wonderful surprise. Fiore invited Mitchell to come and receive a check, and they were able to take photos and celebrate.

“I was so moved by this, it nearly brought me to tears, but I managed to hold it together,” said Mitchell, “I proceeded to thank them from the bottom of my heart and filled in some of the background information about how Project Help came to be and what our mission is in the support of our vets.”

This money will allow Project Help to assist more vets than ever before. As a grassroots, all-volunteer charity, every dollar is stretched to aid New Jersey veterans and their families. Mitchell said this donation will go a long way towards their mission, but that they can’t take it for granted.

“We have to continue to work,” she said, “We have to squeeze every dollar we get; we can’t sit back and take it easy.”

For more information about Project Help or to get involved, click here or call Sandy Mitchell at (973) 875-2068.  Volunteers are welcome to register by phone or on the website. Project Help is 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving the lives of veterans and their families by providing financial support and assistance with finding long-term, stable jobs and housing.