Category: Public Info

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders today cut the ribbon on the Watchung Reservation Sensory Trail, the first of its kind in the county and the most extensive one in the nation. The trail is accessible to all residents, allowing them to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings at the Trailside Nature and Science Center.

“We continue to champion equal access and inclusion for all residents, and the sensory trail will be leading the way nationwide,  providing a way to safely experience the outdoors and providingopportunities to interact with nature and learn about the rich history our county has to offer,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados.  “We are committed to providing children and adults of all abilities access to recreational opportunities, and as such we also created the Office for People with Special Needs, this year, which is coordinating programs for children at the Sensory Friendly Trail including a Special Needs Summer Camp.”

The trail is open to all visitors, seven days a week from dawn to dusk for free, and is located behind the Trailside Nature and Science Center at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside.

There are many different components to the trail which is designed to provide sensory stimulation and interaction, and meet the physical, social and cognitive needs of different age groups.

To begin with, the Watchung Reservation Sensory Trail is a 0.3 mile loop with a central gazebo.  The interpretive signage includes two talking kiosks highlighting the natural and human history of the Watchung Reservation.  There are also sounds from nature, including bird sounds, insect sounds, and the sounds of the Lenape Indians, who once occupied the reservation.

The central gazebo has a sensory play area to attract children and encourage exploration and discovery—including a crawl through a log, mushroom steppers, and a balance beam that looks like a tree branch.  

There are also musical components on the trail—including drums, Xylophone, and other items to touch, including wheels and balls, and raised garden beds (sensory gardens for touching and smelling).

The 0.2 mile braille trail loop with guide ropes features multiple stops to learn about the local flora and fauna.   

The nearby Trailside Nature & Science Center will utilize the new Sensory Trail and offer educational programs to allow students and families an opportunity to explore nature and gain a better understanding of the natural world around them. As part of Freeholder Chairman Granados’ “Moving Union County Forward” initiatives for 2018, the Freeholder Board created the Office for People with Special Needs, which has been expanding resources and activities while also working with local organizations to build connections for the betterment of people with special needs.

The trail stretches from the Trailside Center and into fields surrounding the center and there are two outdoor classrooms along the trail (log and acorn searing) where naturalists can gather groups and/or make presentations.

The project was designed by CME Associates Consulting and Municipal Engineers, which is based out of six offices in New Jersey. The project contractor is Pavelec Brothers from Nutley, NJ. The cost of the project is $652,000.

The Freeholder Board continues to champion equal access and sensory friendly opportunities for its residents. As mentioned above,  the Freeholder Board through Freeholder Chairman Granados’ “Moving Union County Forward” initiatives for 2018, created the Office for People with Special Needs, and also the “Level the Playing Field” initiative which is creating sensory friendly and accessible playgrounds in all 21 towns throughout the County—the first such initiative nationally. Last year, the Freeholder Board created the County’s first inclusive playground at Mattano Park in Elizabeth, and several years ago under Freeholder Alexander Mirabella, created the Sensory Friendly Theater series, which continues annually.

CAPTION: Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholders Bruce H. Bergen and Rebecca Williams joined Union County Manager Ed Oatman, Deputy County Manager Amy Wagner, Union County Parks and Recreation Director Ron Zuber, Union County Department of Human Services Director  Debbie-Ann Anderson, county employees and people with special needs in cutting the ribbon, officially opening the new Sensory Friendly Trail at the Trailside Nature and Science Center at the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside. The trail, which is the first of its kind in the County, will be accessible to all and allow residents to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Following months of planning, Union County is poised to become the first county in New Jersey that is exclusively patrolled by local law enforcement to have all of its departments outfitted with body-worn cameras, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced Thursday.

Prosecutor Monahan, who earlier this year launched an initiative to ensure full countywide implementation, was joined today by county officials and most of Union County’s 21 municipal police chiefs at the Andrew K. Ruotolo Justice Center in downtown Elizabeth to mark the occasion.

“I am confident there will come a time when body-worn cameras are as commonplace as any other item in a police officer’s toolkit,” Prosecutor Monahan said. “But for now, we can be satisfied in the knowledge that Union County, on the issue of body-worn cameras, is at the vanguard among law enforcement in New Jersey, progressively ahead of the curve and leading the way. And for that, I thank our chiefs for their commitment to delivering transparency, accountability, and professionalism to the public.” 

“Vehicle video systems have been available for law enforcement for decades, but body-worn cameras are a vast improvement because they allow you to see incidents unfold from the officers’ actual point of view. They have become a valued tool in daily use not only for officers’ protection, but the protection of the citizenry as well,” added Springfield Police Chief John Cook, President of the Union County Police Chiefs Association. “The body-worn camera gives a true account of events, and may even reveal evidence that was not initially seen.”

The Prosecutor’s Office distributed approximately $181,000 of its forfeiture funds to six municipal police departments in 2018 to cover significant shares of their first-year startup costs for their body-worn cameras, ancillary equipment, and file storage. All of those departments are currently in various active stages of body-worn camera deployment, a process anticipated to be completed early in 2019.

Thursday’s announcement comes a little more than three years after the Prosecutor’s Office launched what to that point was New Jersey’s largest county-funded, multi-municipality body-worn camera pilot program of its kind, with nine departments signing up for the initial rollout in late 2015. The remaining departments in Union County independently implemented body-worn cameras at various points during the next several years.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office awarded 15 police departments in Union County a total of $376,500 to purchase body-worn cameras as part of past funding programs that offered over $3 million to police agencies across the state to acquire the devices.

“I share a firm commitment with law enforcement across New Jersey to fostering stronger police-community relations through increased transparency and accountability,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Body-worn cameras are an important tool for promoting confidence in our police officers by holding them accountable, while also protecting them from unfounded complaints and helping them gather evidence.  I applaud Prosecutor Monahan and leaders throughout Union County for recognizing that these devices make officers more effective and enhance the safety of the public and police alike.” 

The first directive issued by Attorney General Grewal after taking office established a policy that made body- and dash-camera videos of police deadly force incidents subject to public release, following a formal request, once the initial investigation of the incident is substantially complete, typically within 20 days of the incident. 

The body-worn cameras used by patrol officers throughout Union County are activated at the start of calls for service – officer safety permitting – and during any on-duty encounter with a civilian, with several exceptions for certain situations and in sensitive venues such as schools or houses of worship. Circumstances in which the cameras are in use include traffic stops, vehicle searches, arrests, and more.

During the course of each workday, officers also “tag” their videos electronically, filing them into different categories, and this can be accomplished using a variety of devices, from smart phones to laptops. Once each officer returns to police headquarters following a shift, he or she removes their camera and places it in a docking station; at that point the footage is uploaded to cloud storage or local servers while the device also recharges automatically.

Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders Chairman Sergio Granados also joined Prosecutor Monahan and the police chiefs Thursday to voice his support.

“Among our Board of Chosen Freeholders’ ‘Moving Union County Forward’ priorities announced at the start of this year, public safety was central among them, and Prosecutor Monahan and our police chiefs working together to achieve full, countywide implementation of body-worn cameras is something that will make public life safer not only for our brave men and women in law enforcement, but also the many citizens they interact with every day,” Chairman Granados said. “And furthermore, it marks another step toward ensuring that transparency and accountability in Union County are more than just words, but ideals, backed up by action.”

Prosecutor Monahan thanked all of the municipal elected officials who approved funding for future body-worn camera costs, as well as all of the local chiefs – including Union County Police Chief Chris Debbie, Union County Public Safety Director Andrew Moran, Union County Sheriff Peter Corvelli, Berkeley Heights Police Chief John DiPasquale, Clark Police Chief Pedro Matos, Cranford Police Chief Ryan Greco, Elizabeth Police Chief John Brennan and Public Safety Director James Cosgrove, Fanwood Police Chief Richard Trigo, Garwood Police Chief James Wright, Hillside Police Chief Vincent Ricciardi, Kean University Police Director Mark Farsi, Kenilworth Police Chief John Zimmerman, Linden Police Chief David Hart, Mountainside Police Officer-in-Charge Joseph Giannuzzi, New Providence Police Chief Anthony Buccelli Jr., Plainfield Police Director Carl Riley, Rahway Police Chief John Rodger, Roselle Police Chief Brian Barnes, Roselle Park Police Chief Paul Morrison, Scotch Plains Police Chief Theodore Conley, Springfield Police Chief John Cook, Summit Police Chief Robert Weck, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro, Winfield Police Chief Walter Berg, and Union Township Police Director Daniel Zieser.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General in July 2015 issued a 24-page directive governing the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement statewide; it can be viewed in its entirety online.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados and Freeholder Alexander Mirabella and Christopher Hudak present a resolution to Dr. Lester Sandres Rapalo, Dean of the Union County College’s Elizabeth Campus, commending and congratulating him for his efforts in organizing the First International Youth Concert for Peace.

The First International Youth Concert for Peace held at the Union County College Campus in Elizabeth and featured the Consulate of El Salvador in New Jersey, the Consulate General of Mexico in New York and the United Nations Association of El Salvador. The event was a joint socio-cultural, non-profit initiative seeking to empower young Latinos and other minorities living in New Jersey through art, music and culture as tools for development. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Angel G. Estrada present a resolution to Isabella Buss of Linden congratulating her on winning the 2018 Linden VFW John Russell Wheeler Post No. 1397 Patriots Pen Essay Contest for middle school students. They are joined by her parents Davi and Etel Buss. The topic of the contest was “Why I Honor the American Flag.” Isabella, a 6th Grade student at McManus Middle School, wrote about the sacrifices of her family in their journey from Brazil to the United States, and what it means to be an American. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Deputy County Manager Amy Wagner and County Council Robert Barry thank Chairman Sergio Granados for an outstanding year at the helm of County Government with a plaque in honor of his “Moving UNION COUNTY Forward” initiatives for 2018. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)