Politics & Government

Twenty-Two Correctional Officers Promoted

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. announced the new ranks for the county's correctional officers, including the first married couple in the history of the department to receive promotions at the same time.

Twenty-two Essex County Correctional Facility officers were promoted Thursday at the Department of Corrections Promotion Ceremony in Newark, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. announced.

The ceremony took place Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. on the 14th floor of Essex County LeRoy F. Smith, Jr. Public Safety Building, 60 Nelson Place in Newark, according to a press release from the county executive’s office.

“Being a Corrections Officer is a demanding job and it takes a person with special qualities and skills to carry out the responsibility of taking care of our inmate population,” DiVincenzo said in a release Friday. "I congratulate our officers on their well-deserved promotions, for working hard and taking on additional responsibility."

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Two officers, Lt. Darrell Jones and Sgt. Dana Paris-Jones, who met each other while working as corrections officers, became the first married couple in the history of Essex County Department of Corrections to receive their promotions at the same time.

DiVincenzo announced the promotion of one officer to captain, eight officers to lieutenant and 12 officers to sergeant. Officers to be honored were promoted in October 2012 and February 2013. The October ceremony was postponed by Hurricane Sandy.

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Officer promoted to the rank of Captain are as follows:

  • Capt. Daniel W. Christofferson

Officers promoted to Lieutenant are as follows:

  • Lt. Steven R. Alese
  • Lt. Jose E. Badillo
  • Lt. Carmine Cardella
  • Lt. Richard Ferruggia
  • Lt. Darrell Jone
  • Lt. Jacqueline H. Lewis 
  • Lt. Dominic Tafuri 
  • Lt. Taisha D. Williams 
  • Lt. Michael Wohl 

Officers promoted to Sergeant include the following: 

  • Sgt. Todd A. Barcliff
  • Sgt. Ivan Blanford
  • Sgt. Shreekk Crawford 
  • Sgt. Jerry A. Del Guercio 
  • Sgt. Wali Gibson 
  • Sgt. Gerardo Gonzalez
  • Sgt. Christian Herrera 
  • Sgt. Innocent Ihenakwe
  • Sgt. Ralph E. Johnson 
  • Sgt. Cynthia Lynn
  • Sgt. Dana Paris-Jones
  • Sgt. Mark Piccininno


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