As reported by nj.com, Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s call to end private prisons has drawn the ire of one of his staunchest and most powerful political allies: Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo. In a far reaching proposal to reform America’s prison system, Booker had harsh words for the privately owned prison industry saying it created
Newark
Cash Strapped NJ Police Departments To Receive $6M In Federal Aid
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, strapped by recession and plagued by rising violence, some New Jersey police departments are about to get a little help from Washington. The U.S. Department of Justice announced state municipalities will receive $6 million in federal grant money to bolster departments thinned by deep cuts to city budgets.
“This funding …
Newark Violence Points to Cop Layoffs, Breakdown In Values
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by Bob Braun on nj.com, within months after more than 160 of its police officers were laid off, Newark erupted into a spasm of violence, including the killing of a policeman and one day when 13 people were shot, one fatally. But did the layoffs lead to the violence? And what does the …
Newark’s Murder and Violent Crime Rates Increase Amid Police Layoffs
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, three fatal shootings in the last two days pushed Newark’s homicide total to 29 this year, a 71 percent jump in killings compared with the same period in 2010, as violent crime surges following police layoffs. Between January 1 and April 17, Newark has seen marked increases in homicides, shootings, …
Laid-Off, Retired Newark Cops Still Have Not Received Overdue Back Pay
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Uncategorized
As reported by nj.com, when they were laid off by the Newark Police Department last year, Juan Velarde and Stephanie Diaz thought they could make do, at least for a while, with unemployment checks and the $3,900 they were owed in back pay from the city. The couple celebrated the birth of their first child …
Newark: Drop in Arrests, Summonses At End of Year
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Public Employment Labor Law
As reported by nj.com on February 7, 2011, Newark police have made nearly half as many arrests, issued fewer summonses and conducted fewer inquiries in the second half of 2010 than in the same period the previous year, a decline some law enforcement officials say was tied to hostile layoff negotiations.
A public and …
Judge Powerless to Prevent Newark Police, Fire Department Layoffs
By Donald C. Barbati on
Posted in Public Employment Labor Law
As reported in the Star Ledger on November 10, 2010, hundreds of Newark city police officers, firefighters, and civilian employees, barring a last-minute reprieve, will be laid off on Friday, November 12, 2010 after a judge dismissed a lawsuit aimed at blocking the city’s cost-cutting measures.
Superior Court Judge Patricia Costello told lawyers for …