Freeholders Strip Sheriff of Morris Jail Control, Will Take Over in September

The ongoing saga between the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Sheriff Edward Rochford took a major turn Wednesday, as the governing body voted to strip the sheriff’s office of Morris County Jail duties.

With a 6-0 vote and one abstention, the Freeholders voted to take over the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morris Township and take away those duties from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a statement released by the county, the board’s decision came as a result of ongoing fiscal differences with Rochford, which include excessive raises negotiated with corrections unions and “huge overtime” increases at the jail despite a marked reduction the amount of inmates in recent years.

The board also said a lack of negotiated labor contracts and poor communications between both groups played a major part.

In the same meeting Wednesday night, the freeholders voted to reject four labor agreements negotiated by Rochford this year, including two with corrections unions.

The County Administrator and County Counsel will take all actions necessary for the jail to be controlled at the county level, including the implementation of a warden.

Rochford was not on hand for the meeting, the statement said, rather he sent two representatives.

According to the county, the jail’s inmate census has decreased 255 from a high of 376 in 2010. At the current time, there are 165 employees at the jail, which hasn’t dropped in five years.

Additionally, overtime costs have gone from $922,000 to $1.9 million last year. Eleven of New Jersey’s 20 county jails are run by county governments.