Police union votes no confidence in Essex County Jail head, county administrators. See why

A police union representing supervisors and internal affairs investigators for the Essex County Department of Corrections approved a vote of no confidence in the agency's director and county administrators.

The labor organization’s announcement, released Monday, outlined a litany of grievances, claiming mismanagement has undermined the welfare of officers, as well as inmates.

The motion passed, 39-11, among voting members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 106 on Aug. 7 through a secret ballot, with more than half of the organization expressing dissatisfaction in the department's director, Ronald Charles, County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and his chief of staff, Philip Alagia.

"We have a lot of disgruntled members," said Jim Troisi, who serves as vice president of the union. "They feel like they’re not being heard. They feel that we have an administration − not just at Director Charles' level but above him − that is simply not supportive of the staff, and we believe the facility is operating unsafely."

Among the union's complaints are staffing shortages that leave supervising officers stretched thin and requires inmates to spend the majority of their time in their cells, known as a "Restricted Access Schedule." The unnecessary confinement foments violence between inmates and officers and between the detainees themselves, supervisors claim.

Capt. Nathaniel Richardson, president of the union, said when low staffing leads to extended confinement, it has a domino effect: “They don’t come out. But when they do, they come out with an attitude.”

Al-Tariq Witcher, co-founder of Returning Citizens Support Group, which advocates for current and former detainees, was horrified to think inmates would be kept in near-constant lockdown as a budgetary measure.

“That’s wrong,” Witcher said. “It’s constitutionally wrong; it’s humanely wrong.”

The issue is exacerbated by Charles’ supposed limited time at the facility. He only spends a few hours on-site each week and his whereabouts are unknown for much of the time in between his visits, the union claims. When needed, reaching him can be difficult because his phone number is not listed with other emergency contacts, according to supervisors.

One incident highlighted in the union’s letter alleges Charles ordered all detainees released from their cells on Super Bowl Sunday after months of restricted access, resulting in numerous alarms and injury to one inmate. The director was advised against the move beforehand and proved unreachable once trouble began, according to union officials.

Shortages have also led to a massive backlog of staff citations, as the unit responsible for disciplinary hearings has been whittled down to a single captain attempting to sift through anywhere from 200-700 alleged infractions that await his review, Troisi claimed.

Officers allegedly flaunt the resulting lack of consequence and are often heard to remark, “write me up, we all know nothing will happen.”

Conversely, when an incident is not witnessed by a supervisor, reporting the issue with discretion can be close to impossible.

Charles relocated the internal affairs unit to a building on the facility’s grounds where cell service is faulty and outside emails cannot be received, according to the union. Anyone speaking with investigators must be escorted to and from the unit’s office, passing through several gates controlled by other officers and within view of inmates’ windows.

“There’s no way to get to Internal Affairs without the whole jail seeing it,” Richardson said, adding the same goes for investigators walking to the main jail to interview a detainee. The risk of retribution from inmates ruffled by informants or a corrupt officer accused of wrongdoing is “about neck and neck,” he said.

Authority over county corrections

New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General declined to comment on the union’s allegations and stated the attorney general “does not have authority over the [ECDOC] director,” according to spokesperson Sharon Lauchaire.

Multiple officials contacted on the matter declined to comment and side-stepped the question of which agency would be responsible for investigating a county corrections department, if one was warranted.

Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said his office “has no role in union activity.” The FBI could investigate wrongdoing by a county corrections employee only if their actions run afoul of U.S. law, such as civil rights violations or misuse of federal funds, according to bureau spokesperson Amy Thoreson.

The County Board of Commissioners is empowered to launch an inquiry and compel testimony from county administrators. The board has a copy of the union’s letter and “is examining the complaints,” according to Adam Tucker, a spokesperson for the commissioners.

However, sole discretion to oust a department head lies with County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, who staunchly defended the DOC director following the union’s vote.

“We have the utmost confidence in Director Ron Charles,” DiVincenzo stated. “He has an impeccable record of leadership both in Essex County and other corrections departments.”

DiVincenzo cited the jail’s flawless compliance ratings from state inspectors, accreditation from the American Correctional Association and National Commission on Correctional Health Care, as well as substance abuse programs Charles has implemented during his tenure.

Officers and advocates call for reform

Despite earning administrative laurels, public outcry, federal charges and news reports show the department is troubled.

In June, former inmates of the county’s juvenile detention center filed a joint lawsuit alleging a pattern of sexual abuse at the hands of its officers. As of last year, current and former inmates continued to be convicted for brutally beating a fellow detainee in 2019.

Surveillance video of the attack showed no guards came to the victim’s aid as the assault carried on for more than two minutes.

Questions surrounding the incident sparked outrage from the community and civil rights advocates. Now, calls for reform are coming from both sides, creating curious bedfellows.

“Isn’t it a unique set of circumstances that the prisoners’ families and the staff are both asking for changes within the facility,” Lodge 106 Vice President Troisi said. “I can’t remember the last time everyone was saying we need real change here and we need it now.”

Speaking as an advocate and someone who has lived under incarceration, Witcher said his group regularly engages administrators and their officers in its work to broker a resolution that benefits everyone involved.

“We know the trauma people go through inside, and we don’t want the officers to traumatize them or be traumatized,” Witcher said. Yet, he and others at his group were not quick to blame any individual.

"This problem didn’t happen overnight. This happened two or three administrations prior," said Edwin Ortiz, from the Returning Citizens Support Group. “It’s a systemic problem.”

The department submitted to a third-party review by The Ambrose Group in 2022 when Charles ― a former warden at the jail ― took over as chief executive. The resulting report lauded the jail’s reduced use of force, diverse staff, response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an enhanced security system.

Conversely, Ambrose advised the department to devote at least one lieutenant to each building per shift. The union said the department followed the recommendation but does so without shoring up staff with new hires, forcing the lieutenants they have to work long tours on short notice.

“Frankly we’re done with oversight committees,” Troisi said. “We would like an investigation. If that means the removal of Charles, if that means the removal of [Chief of Staff Philip Alagia], so be it. And it hurts me to say that because I’ve known Charles for 30 years. I had high hopes when he was hired.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Police union votes no confidence in Essex County Jail head, county administrators. See why