Mid-State Officers
Lend a Hand
Joseph Rogers, former chief of custody at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Wrightstown, and a trio of fellow New Jersey Department of Corrections officers were driving in a two-vehicle convey along Range Road on the grounds of nearby Fort Dix, en route to a weapons demonstration. Little did they know that as they rounded the curve approaching Route 17, the training they had received on how to respond to emergency situations was about to be put to use.

"As we went around bend we noticed an 18-wheeler on its side," said Rogers, recalling the morning of March 5.

A pair of soldiers who had been in the cab of the truck, a tanker carrying diesel fuel, appeared to be injured. To make matters worse, the tanker had been punctured, and fuel was leaking.

Rogers, who was transporting Captain William Buffa, immediately pulled over along the shoulder of the road. So did the vehicle driven by Sgt. William Braun, who was transporting Lt. Alfred Moon.

"You see a situation like that, and you have to stop and render assistance," related Rogers, who is currently chief of custody at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Yardville. "Fortunately, based on the training we've received as correctional officers, we had a pretty good idea of what to do. Captain Buffa provided medical assistance to the soldiers. At the same time, we contacted the law enforcement agencies that are responsible for that area We also secured and stopped traffic. Since the fuel was leaking on the road, we were concerned about public safety."

Another Mid-State officer, Sgt. James Palmore, heard the call to Department of Defense (DOD) personnel over the short-wave radio and immediately rushed to the accident scene to lend assistance.

Shortly afterward, DOD units arrived. The soldiers, whose injuries were not life threatening, were taken from the scene in an ambulance. The correction officers remained at the accident site for more than an hour, assisting their DOD colleagues with traffic control.

"We certainly didn't do anything heroic," Rogers said. "All of us are seasoned supervisors. Basically, we came upon a situation, knew what had to be done and did it."

Various Prisons
Host Job Fairs
Inmates at correctional facilities throughout the state took the first steps toward securing future employment by participating in job fairs and community awareness fairs designed to familiarize hundreds of offenders with the kinds of employment opportunities, services and resources that will be available to them upon their release. In all, thousands of offenders took advantage of the programs.

Job fairs and community fairs were scheduled at 10 different prisons between April and September. Typically, dozens of employers, educational institutions and agencies are on hand for each event.

In past years, New Jersey Department of Corrections officials noted, numerous offenders found employment through their participation in job fairs.

"Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of offenders under our custody suffer from low self-esteem, " related Carol Winer, education program specialist. "Further, many of those same offenders had no understanding of the process by which a potential employer is approached and a job secured. By providing educational training and instituting face-to-face encounters with companies from across the state, we're helping to resolve both of those issues. At the same time, we're aiding in offender rehabilitation."

Officer Honored
for Distinguished Service
Sgt. Chris Birardi, a member of the custody staff member at East Jersey State Prison in Rahway for nine years, was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the state's highest honor for valor, for his service in Afghanistan as a member of the Air National Guard.

While in Afghanistan, Birardi worked perimeter security and helped supervise inmates in the Kandahar compound who were awaiting transfer to Guantanamo Bay. One of those inmates was the American Taliban, John Walker Lindh.

Birardi, who spent a total of three months in Afghanistan beginning in December 2001, received the Distinguished Service Medal from Governor James E. McGreevey during a ceremony at Drumthwacket.

"It was nice to be recognized for service to my country," said Birardi, a Livingston resident. "Looking back, it seems almost surreal. More than anything, the time I spent in Afghanistan gave me a true appreciation for my family and the quality of life in America. The hardest part was the separation from my daughter (Rebecca, age 8). And then there were the conditions. Items like toilet paper were luxuries. Food and water were rationed. For a while, we were showering maybe once a week. It wasn't easy, but we were doing what needed to be done."

Unions and NJDOC Staff
Support Special Olympics
Hundreds of custody officers and other New Jersey Department of Corrections staff members raised tens of thousands of dollars by taking part in two recent fund-raising events on behalf of Special Olympics of New Jersey.

The funds raised were provided through sponsorship money from a trio of unions representing the officers: the Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 105, the Law Enforcement Supervisors Association and the Law Enforcement Superior Officers Association.

On March 16, more than 150 NJDOC employees went for a winter swim in the Atlantic Ocean during the 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge. Then, on May 30, a large contingent of Department of Corrections staff members took to the streets for the New Jersey Law Enforcement Torch Run. Immediately following the run, the NJDOC played a prominent role in the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games, which were held at the College of New Jersey in Ewing.

"I'm ecstatic at the level of this department's involvement in support of Special Olympics," said Sgt. John LaPierre, an NJDOC liaison to the Special Olympics. "Of course, the reason so many of our people are willing to participate is because Special Olympics is such a worthwhile cause."

Social Worker
Has a Way with Words
Joyce Norelli, a social worker who has been employed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections since 1984, had her poem, "My Lord," published in "Nature's Gentle Kiss," a compilation of works published earlier this year by the International Library of Poetry.

Norelli, a Trenton resident, has been writing poetry since her teenage years. Last year, one of her poems, "America," appeared in the International Library of Poetry's "The Colors of Our Dreams."

Bayside Collects
Safety Award
Bayside State Prison in Leesburg was a recipient of a Safety Award during a May 14 banquet sponsored by the South Jersey Industrial Safety Council, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Labor.

The award was presented in recognition of the exemplary safety record of Bayside's Facilities Maintenance Department. Bayside became the first New Jersey Department of Corrections facility to receive an award at the banquet, which was held for the 75th time.

Kindness Campaign
Has a Friend in NJDOC
Patty Friend, acting director of the New Jersey Department of Corrections' Office of Educational Services, represented the department for the second consecutive year at the annual Statewide Kindness Awareness Campaign, held May 2 in Trenton.

Friend was armed with dozens of posters that were made specially for the event by NJDOC inmates. The posters were presented to Andrea Inverso, chief executive officer of the Kindness Awareness Campaign, who distributed them to schoolchildren. The youngsters held the signs aloft during a march to and from the State House steps.

The Kindness Awareness Campaign is designed to increase awareness about the benefits of encouraging citizens to improve their lives and the lives of others by practicing kindness.

CRAF, Northern
Salute Staff Members
Classification Officer Keisha Robinson was selected as Employee of the Month for April at the Central Reception and Assignment Facility in Trenton. Other CRAF employees who recently received similar recognition are social worker Senior Correction Officer Francisco Olmeda (March), institutional trade instructor Gabriel Kendall (February) and SCO John Buchko (January).

Classification Officer Robert Chetirkin was named Supervisor of the Month for April at Northern State Prison in Newark. The facility's Custody Employee of the Month for April was SCO Pat Daniels, while crew supervisor Celso Castro was the Civilian Employee of the Month. Northern's winners for March were storekeeper Robert Thanel (supervisor), SCO Anthony Swepson (custody) and technical assistant Janeen Brown (civilian). February winners were Sgt. Richard Tattoli (supervisor), SCO Irving Hill (custody) and senior clerk Alexander Ballester (civilian). January winners were Sgt. Frank James (supervisor), SCO Maria Shafer (custody) and volunteer service assistant Edna Jones (civilian).