Closing thoughts from a devoted corrections officer
CORRECTIONS REPORT
When my last day with Monmouth County Corrections ended on June 30, I stopped on the way home to
play the lottery. I boxed the Pick-3 using 6-3-0 for 6-30,
which was not only my last day, but the day my
nephew, Sam Taivano, graduated into a job with State
Corrections at the state prison in Mountainside.
The winning
RICHARD came out a littlenumber was 0-3-6. So I got lucky and
bit ahead.
BROWN
I think my career as a corrections officer and serving
the NJ State PBA can be summed up the same way. I
was very lucky to have worked a great job and worked with great people at the union. And I have come out more than a little bit ahead.
It’s funny, because when I started in 1988, I was making $17,500 per
year. But I have been able to raise a family of four sons, have my own
home, a great marriage and so many great experiences from being a
law enforcement officer and PBA member.
When I look back on 27 years, I have a lot of thoughts about corrections, so with love and respect for all my corrections sisters and brothers and my PBA sisters and brothers, allow me to share a few:
To all corrections officers…As I told my nephew, make sure you
are always fair and consistent. When you deal with inmates or supervisors, as long as you are fair and consistent, nobody can hold
anything against you. That works in all aspects of corrections.
With regard to the facilities…When I first started, the equipment
was outdated and didn’t allow you to do the job. The inmates lived in
almost barbaric conditions. And the officers lived with them. Now,
with all the new rules and new laws, they live in a nice atmosphere if
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you can call a jail that. It sounds crazy, but it’s night and day.
Thanks for the training and education…All of this has increased
and, as a result, our peers and political figures have put us at the same
level as every other law enforcement agency. Over time, I think the
taxpayers, as well as the politicians, have realized corrections is very
important part of law enforcement.
To Monmouth County Corrections Officers Local 240…Members,
you are in good hands with President Anthony Anderson and the
entire Executive Board. The Local will not miss a beat.
To the PBA Corrections Committee…Thanks for bringing corrections closer to the community and to local police departments. I think
everyone knows we brought respect to corrections because we had a
committee that stayed together. We also had a voice in the state legislature and made sure we were there and active.
To the future of the PBA Corrections leadership…We might be
losing some experience with Ken Burkert from Union County Corrections and Joe Amato from Essex County Corrections moving on, too.
But the committee will rise to a new level under the leadership of
Andy Pacucci from Bergen County Sheriffs Department Local 134 and
Winslow Land from Mercer County Corrections Officers Local 164.
Devoted union members like Frederick Ludd, Terrence Benson and
Rodney Furby on the PBA Executive Board will build on what we have
accomplished.
And to all my fellow officers…Take care of yourself. You can’t take
care of anybody else unless you take care of yourself and your foundation first. You have to make sure yours is safe and secure before you
worry about anybody else. d