MORRIS COUNTY — Every second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America collect the goodness and compassion of their postal customers, who participate in the NALC Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the nation.

NALC is America’s largest one-day food collection event that provides millions of pounds of food to local hunger relief agencies. To help, all one needs to do is place non-perishable food items in a bag next to the mailbox before letter carrier arrives on Saturday, May 11, and the letter carrier will do the rest. Food collected is donated to local food pantries.

In the areas of Madison, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Mountain Lakes, Boonton and Boonton Township the food will be donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry, which serves Morris County residents. Some of the items most needed are canned soup, canned fruit, canned tuna, evaporated, dry or shelf stable milk, peanut butter, pasta sauce in cans or plastic jars, canned beans, canned meats and meals, rice, pasta and cereal.

In the past 14 years more than 371,000 pounds of food from the Letter Carriers Food Drive has been donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry and distributed to Morris County families in need. “We have worked with the local etter carriers for many years and are so grateful for their hard work and for their partnership in our efforts to fight local hunger”, said Carolyn Lake, Interfaith Food Pantry, executive director. “They truly care and understand that many hardworking people still struggle with the high cost of living here in Morris County and may be one illness or car breakdown away from needing food assistance.”

The Interfaith Food Pantry is celebrating 25 years of “neighbors helping neighbors” and has been supplying emergency and supplemental food since 1994 to Morris County residents in need. Clients are low income working families, the unemployed, people with disabilities, and seniors living on fixed incomes. In 2018, the Interfaith Food Pantry helped more than 10,000 Morris County residents and distributed 1.2 million pounds of food. For more information click here or call (973) 538-8049.

MORRIS COUNTY — Local law enforcement members and representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigations held an Active Shooter Training Seminar at the County College of Morris on Thursday, May 2. Multiple members of local law enforcement including Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Jan Monrad, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Lieutenant Will Harzula of the Randolph Police Department, FBI Special Agents Scott Nawrocki and Matthew Richert, and County College of Morris Security Director Harvey Jackson presented on the subject. The seminar was attended by over 100 professors and administrators of the college.

The training focused on the best practices to utilize in the event of an active shooter threat on the County College of Morris Campus. A similar training was held at the County College of Morris in October of 2018. This seminar furthered the training from last year, and covered the policy and procedure of the County College of Morris, as well as the resources available to the college. Following the presentation, a question and answer session was held for the professors and administrators in attendance. These professionals pride themselves on ensuring their students’ safety, and were eager to raise any comments or concerns they had on the protocol.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, who was in attendance, said, “All of our students in Morris County deserve the right to further their education in a safe environment. These trainings are important as they ensure that the members of the faculty and staff are aware of the appropriate procedures, and have the capability to instinctively react in the event of an active shooter incident. Thanks are in order to all of the presenters for joining us today”.

PARSIPPANY — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted to take credible steps to address climate change by keeping the United States in the Paris Climate Agreement and requiring the Administration to have a specific plan to limit national greenhouse gas emissions. Congresswoman Sherrill co-sponsored H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, which requires a plan for the country to meet its agreed upon reductions to greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and fulfill contributions to fight climate change.

“New Jersey residents know all too well the real threat posed by climate change and the 100-year storms that hit our communities with alarming frequency,” said Congresswoman Sherrill.“I’m proud to co-sponsor the effort to affirm our commitment to mitigate climate change and let the world know that the United States is prepared to address this pressing national security threat.”

According to Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans see an impact in their local communities from climate change. In an April 2019 survey from Rutgers-Eagleton, two-thirds of New Jerseyans said they were, “concerned about the effects of climate change on their life, their family members, or the people around them.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Nicholas Ricciotti and Timothy Palazzolo assisted detectives from the Morristown Bureau of Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in identifying and apprehending a 21-year-old man suspected of hiding an imitation handgun under a bush minutes before his appointment with a Morris County Probation Officer.

The investigation began on Wednesday, May 1 when the Morris County Sheriff’s Office contacted Morristown Police to advise that a witness reported seeing what appeared to be a black-colored handgun under a bush on Court Street, by the Morris County Administration and Records Building.

The witness reported to police that the suspected handgun was gone when he checked a short time after he first spotted it.  The witness made the observation on Tuesday, April 30 and reported it on May 1.

Entrances to the Morris County Courthouse and Administration and Records Building are heavily monitored by surveillance cameras and Morris County Sheriff’s Officers, who operate metal detectors that expose all weapons, real and imitation.

Detective Ricciotti reviewed surveillance footage of the area around the Administration and Records Building and observed a man, later identified as Morristown resident Maurice J. Bates, remove a black object from his pocket and place it under a bush near the front entrance to the Administration and Records Building on Tuesday, April 30.

Mr. Bates was observed on the surveillance video entering the Administration and Records Building and walking to the Probation office around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30. Around 2:30 p.m., as the videotape shows, Mr. Bates was seen, allegedly retrieving the black object from under the bush, putting it in his pocket, and walking away.

Detectives Ricciotti and Palazzolo gathered information identifying Mr. Bates and his residence. Morristown Police Detectives Scott Pino and Scott Weaver had integral roles in the investigation, including preparing search and arrest warrants that received judicial approval before being executed.

Detectives from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Morristown Bureau of Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Enforcement Unit conducted surveillance on Mr. Bates’s home on Wednesday, May 1. Detectives verified that Mr. Bates was at home. With the assistance of the Morris County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT), officers entered Mr. Bates’s apartment and arrested him before conducting a search that revealed a black imitation handgun.

Mr. Bates was charged on Thursday, May 2 by Morristown Detective Scott Pino with possession of a weapon, an imitation firearm, for an unlawful purpose. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a motion to detain him in the Morris County Correctional Facility while the charge is pending.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon and Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran commend the detectives for the thorough and timely investigation.

“There are aggressive, proactive security safeguards in and around the Morris County Court Complex and Administration and Records Building. People who bring illegal weapons to the area will be caught,” Sheriff Gannon said.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.