MORRIS COUNTY — The Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Section of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office is the first in New Jersey to welcome an independent assessment, which concluded the section meets rigorous international quality standards.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon in 2019 voluntarily sought the services of Highlands Forensic Investigations & Consulting LLC for an independent and objective assessment of the agency’s CSI Section that provides crime scene and incident evidence collection and analysis to all 39 municipalities in Morris County.

The yearlong evaluation involved an onsite visit by Highlands Owner Howard Ryan and firm Assessors Laura Tramontin and James P. Molinaro, and continuous reviews of case files, training files, proficiency/competency testing and management documentation.

In 2019, CSI Section Detectives and Forensic Technicians worked on 1,291 cases, or, between three and four cases a day.

Under the leadership of Morris County Sheriff’s Office Detective Captain Denise Thornton and Detective Lieutenant Laura Flynn, and with all CSI Detectives assisting, an extensive questionnaire about practices, policies, and directives governing eight categories of CSI operations were responded to with 126 detailed and objective written proofs.

To mark the recent, successful completion of the assessment, Mr. Ryan and the assessors visited the CSI Section to present a Certificate of Conformity to the Sheriff and CSI Section  Detectives. The certificate validates the completion of a Crime Scene Unit Assessment Program that demonstrates conformity to standards promulgated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 17020), relevant to best practices for crime scene investigations.

Assessor Molinaro is a retired New Jersey State Police Lieutenant, who later worked for and retired from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office in the Major Crimes-Crime Scene Unit.  Assessor Tramontin has more than 20 years of crime laboratory experience and worked in multiple forensic disciplines that include drug chemistry, toxicology, trace evidence, and biology.

Highlands owner, Mr. Ryan, is a retired New Jersey State Police Lieutenant and crime scene investigation and reconstruction expert. His firm provides consulting services across the United States and Canada.

“I can’t say how proud I am of everyone in the Crime Scene Investigation Section,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

“This independent assessment by a forensic firm that draws upon experts with more than 130 years of combined law enforcement experience strengthens the excellence, professionalism, and precision of work performed by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office CSI Section. It demonstrates the objectivity of detectives, their adherence to written procedures, and will increase their confidence while explaining and defending their analyses where it counts – in courts of law,” Sheriff Gannon said.

Chester Police Department Chief Thomas Williver, President of the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, called the CSI Section Detectives “consummate professionals.”

“The CSI Section of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office provides an invaluable resource to the municipal police departments in Morris County.  The residents of Morris County should be comforted to know that the CSI Section detectives are following the best practices and standards in Crime Scene Detection, which assists law enforcement in successful prosecution or exoneration of suspects.  The detectives are consummate professionals and we are proud to work with them,” Chief Williver said.

Mr. Ryan and the Assessors said the CSI Section was in good shape before the assessment began and now, with its strengthening, is poised to be a model for crime scene units across the state and nation, particularly as demands and expectations by the public of their law enforcement professionals increase.

“It’s not an easy endeavor to open the door to scrutiny but the Morris County Sheriff’s Office CSI Section did that, 100 percent,” Mr. Ryan said.

Assessors Tramontin and Molinaro said the CSI Detectives were fully committed to ensuring that all their work, no matter how minute or routine, was backed up by a directive, policy, or procedure.   By the end of the assessment, the CSI Section’s conforming policies and procedures were compiled in a volume entitled “Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Manual.”

“The end product is phenomenal,” Mr. Molinaro said.

The conformity assessment required the CSI Section to provide 126 objective written proofs, and in some cases to demonstrate skills in the categories of Facilities, Vehicles, Equipment and Supplies; Investigative Activities; Evidence and Property Control; Training and Professional Development; Ethics; Safety; and Reporting and Records Management.

The scope of questions ranged from inquiries about the equipment used in processing activities, to evidence control, to the documentation of shooting scenes to verification of reagents and processing powders prior to use.

“The facility is second to none and the people of Morris County should be very proud of the Crime Scene Investigation Section. The level of enthusiasm is high and everyone in the unit is thrilled to be there,” Mr. Ryan said.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Assembly passed legislation Monday sponsored by Assemblywomen Serena DiMaso and Aura Dunn capping the fees charged by delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats during the public health crisis.

“It’s a margin killer for many of our Main Street businesses,” said DiMaso (R-Monmouth). “They’re keeping 32 percent of the order payment in a restaurant business where margins are maybe 15 or 20 percent.”

The sponsors worked with N.J. Restaurant and Hospitality Association and leading food delivery apps Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Fees would be capped at 20 percent of the order under the bill (A3978); or 10 percent if a third-party is not actually making the delivery, and it’s instead done by a restaurant worker or independent contractor.

The caps would remain effective during any state of emergency longer than seven days and would supersede any local caps already in place.

“Third-party services are no longer fringe experiments, but rather a mainstream piece of the restaurant business,” said Dunn (R-Morris). “For all their hard work to keep afloat, this cap helps those restaurants stay in business.”

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy will be joining Table of Hope, local officials and scores of volunteers who are gathering together for a free mobile food distribution event at County College of Morris (CCM) on Tuesday, June 23, to assist residents during this time of crisis.

The food distribution, consisting of canned goods, meat, dairy, vegetables, and other groceries, will take place in Parking Lot 1 on the CCM campus starting at 10:00 a.m. and running until 12:00 Noon. Welcoming remarks from the First Lady and others will take place at 9:45 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Visitors are asked to use the college’s Dover Chester Road entrance. Face coverings are required for everyone who visits the campus.

The distribution will operate as a contactless drive-through event with cars stopping at different food stations categorized by food type where volunteers will place bags or boxes into automobile trunks.

Shortly after COVID-19 struck, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, pastor of Bethel Church in Morristown, converted the Table of Hope bus that was used to pick up food so it could be utilized for mobile food distribution. Williams is the founder of the Spring Street Community Development Corporation that operates Table of Hope and other programs to improve the lives of individuals and families in Morris County.

“COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the region, state, and nation and resulted in massive unemployment and also additional challenges for those who already were struggling,” notes CCM President Anthony J. Iacono. “As the community’s college, we are honored to partner with Table of Hope and others to assist Morris County residents. I am so proud to be part of this county where people pull together to help one another.”

Assisting with the event are Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, a CCM graduate, the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Alstede Farms, and approximately 40 volunteers, including numerous CCM employees. The Morris County Council of Education Associations also contributed $5,000 to purchase food for the event.

“This is a powerful testament of the heart of the Morris County community,” says Williams.

“The great work being done by Table of Hope and other food pantries in Morris County has been exemplary,” says Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, liaison to the county’s Human Services agencies. “Without their dedication during this public health crisis, many people in our county, who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, would be hard-pressed to feed their families. We thank Table of Hope and strongly support these organizations.”

“Table of Hope, the Interfaith Food Pantry, the Community Food Bank, Alstede Farms and other charitable organizations have stepped up at a time when the lives of many families were upended by the COVID 19 healthcare crisis,” said Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon. “Their work reflects the finest qualities in people who care about their neighbors and the well-being of others during grim times. Table of Hope Mobile Food Pantry and CCM, for hosting this event, have all my gratitude and admiration.”

In March, Table of Hope began operating weekly mobile food distribution programs in Morristown, Parsippany, and Dover, along with additional grocery supply events in other Morris County communities. Prior to COVID-19, its pantry in Morristown served about 65 people weekly. The number now being served each week at each mobile distribution event averages 500 to 600, reports Teresa Williams, executive director of the Spring Street Community Development Center. To date, more than 9,000 individuals and families have been helped and more than 220 tons of food has been distributed. Table of Hope also operates a soup kitchen that during the pandemic has continued to provide dinners as take-out service.

Table of Hope receives food from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside, local farms, and foodservice companies. To volunteer or make a donation, visit the Spring Street CDC website by clicking here.

Along with Table of Hope, numerous other services are available to assist residents in Morris County’s 39 municipalities who are in need of food during these difficult times. A list of available food services, including food pantries, volunteer shopper organizations, meal delivery services, and take-out meal services, can be found by clicking here.