Former sheriff honored for dedication, innovation in Morris

PARSIPPANY Law enforcement officers from across New Jersey joined Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday at St. Christopher's Roman Catholic Church to pay tribute to former Morris County Sheriff and Freeholder John Fox.

Sheriff's departments from as far away as Burlington County were represented at the funeral, which included full police honors and music outside from the Police Pipes and Drums of Morris County. Christie, also a former Morris County freeholder and U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, attended the Mass but did not speak.

Fox died in his Parsippany home Saturday after a long illness. He was 72.

"John was a good person, a good family man and a very, very good police officer," said Morris County Sheriff Edward Rochford, who succeeded Fox in 1993. "He had the vision back then that made our agency what it is today. He started the Canine Unit, he started Crimestoppers, and he started the Bomb Squad. That's why you see the outpouring of support from all law enforcement here today. He was the man, and he did a great job."

Fox was sheriff from 1975 until 1992, when he was defeated by Rochford in the Republican primary.

Rochford, though, said Fox remained a friend and strong supporter of the department as he continued his career in public service, first as a freeholder and later as a Parsippany councilman.

"John and I stayed friends for the entire 23 years I've been here," Rochford said. "We honored him and former Sheriff Arnold Ladd (who served from 1947 to 1974) in January 2014, and I know John was very proud to have that distinction. We put his photo in the courthouse along with a plaque commemorating his service to the county. Very well deserved."

The advice from Fox that stuck most with Rochford through the years "Don't get down, Just stay positive every day, and keep this agency the way he started it. And I'm very proud we did," Rochford said.

"He was a dear friend and helped me tremendously when I started here in Morris County," said Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp. "He was a wonderful sheriff and innovator, and we'll never see his likes again."

"He was Mr. Personality," said the Rev. Michael Drury, pastor of St. Luke's Church in Long Valley. Drury, as police chaplain for the New Jersey State Police, NJ Transit police and three local police departments, served as the main celebrant at the funeral. "All over Morris County, everybody knows John Fox. But Mr. Personality was much deeper than that. John had a purpose, and a conviction, that could make a difference, and he did."

Drury charged the officers in attendance to follow Fox's example.

"He has left you a legacy," he said. "A legacy of memories, yes, but more than that, he has left you something undone that you must carry on. A legacy of making people's lives come first. A legacy of knowing that people are what you and I serve every day."

A private service followed at Gates of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, with the funeral caravan of police vehicles, including busloads of officers, stopping traffic along Route 10.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.