Having recently completed his first year in Middlesex County, Warden
Mark Cranston realized the power of connecting with Kaniuk to become
fully engaged and integrated into the prison’s personnel and operations.
Cranston came to Middlesex County Prison after working 27 years at
Riker’s Island, so he knows a thing or two about what makes a prison
work.
“We share the understanding that you need to be clear and upfront
about what kind of jail we want to run and the level of professionalism
we want to attain,” Cranston states. “It’s a comfort for me to have a
partner like Mike to get that message across.”
So now we must be getting to what’s really behind the man. C’mon,
Mike, tell us how you managed to maintain such a record of consistent
service and impact? How do you keep going every day?
“Well, I don’t drink coffee or anything,” he reveals. “I love my job. I like
representing my members. It’s something different every day, and I plan
on continuing for several more years.”
even the inmates.
He’s not exactly the kind of guy who gets up at the crack of dawn, but
not much after. He works the 6 a.m.-2 p.m. shift during the week, and
pulls a few overtime tours on the 2-10 p.m. run, as well as at least one on
the weekends.
Kaniuk runs the work-release program for the Middlesex County
Adult Corrections Facility, so his work day usually begins with taking
inmates out to a job site. Presently, he is working his way around to meet
with each of the 23 new corrections officers Middlesex County recently
hired as a way to set them on the right path as he explains.
But the only claim you can get Kaniuk to boast is that, “I rarely take
time off or call out sick. I just love being here.”
And make no mistake, his presence is felt.
“He’ll go out of the way to help anybody,” says Middlesex County Corrections Officer Louis DeMuro. “The past almost-20 years I have worked
here, he’s helped me a lot. He’s helped almost everybody in this place.
And outside of this place.”
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NEW JERSEY COPS
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MAY 2015
The inside story
Digging a little deeper finds another mantra that drives Kaniuk: He
loves the job of representing the 200 women and men of Local 152.
When he was first hired, Kaniuk said he didn’t know anything about
labor unions. A colleague invited him to a PBA meeting. Then he went to
another one. Then he went to a Local dinner, and eventually he was
attending every meeting he could. He worked his way up the Local’s
Executive Board from Trustee to Recording Secretary to becoming State
Delegate six years into the job.
He then got involved with the State PBA, working with Union County
Corrections Local 199 State Delegate Ken Burkert and former Ocean
County Corrections Local 258 State Delegate Ed Weimmer to raise the
profile of corrections officers within the union and throughout the state.
“We used to meet in this little closet upstairs in the old building where
we had a couple of desks,” he recalls.
Along with Burkert and State PBA Corrections Committee Chairman