Morris County sheriff will no longer run jail after freeholders vote
CHATHAM TWP. – The Morris County freeholders took the dramatic step Wednesday night to take control of the county jail in Morris Township away from Sheriff Edward V. Rochford.
Without publicly elaborating on the reasons, six freeholders voted to have the county assume control of the jail by Sept. 1. Deputy Freeholder Director John Cesaro abstained, saying he wanted to wait a few weeks to conduct "due diligence" and give the sheriff a chance to meet with the board.
The move would entail appointing a warden to run the jail which opened in 2000 in its present location and was designed to house about 550 inmates.
The freeholders have been battling with Rochford, who was not immediately available, for the past year over his quest to give officers bonuses and his negotiation of 4 separate contracts for officers and civilians in the office's bureaus of corrections and law enforcement, without involving county officials in those talks.
Freeholder Thomas Mastrangelo said increasing overtime amounts at the jail at a time when the inmate population is decreasing leads him to suspect the facility is mismanaged.
In 2008, the county paid $864,251 in overtime to jail officers. The average daily inmate census then was 328 inmates.
In 2014, overtime was $1,878,439 and the average daily inmate population was 299. So far this year, the population has averaged 255 a day and overtime has cost $918,654.
Freeholder David Scapicchio said he believes the sheriff no longer has the ability to manage the jail and typically doesn't communicate with the county administrator or follow through on supplying documentation when he says he will.
"Based on all the recent behavior by the sheriff, it's my personal belief he no longer has the capacity to manage the jail in a responsible way," Scapicchio said.
The freeholders held their meeting in Chatham Township as part of a monthly ritual of bringing their meetings to different municipalities.
This is a developing story; check back with DailyRecord.com for updates.
Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.