Montville Man Sworn In as County Correctional Officer

When Justin Sudol was younger, he and his sister, Allie, collected cards of officers.

Sudol, a 28-year-old resident, is well on his way to being featured on a card himself as he was sworn in Tuesday as one of the Morris County Correctional Facility's newest correctional officers.

The Morris County Correctional Facility, which employees nearly 300 people, is located in Morris Township. It runs on a $27 million-a-year budget and typically holds inmates for shorter amounts of time while they work their way through the county judicial system, with some staying up to five years. The jail is one of 120 in the country that is nationally accredited.

Sudol's family members and girlfriend, Stephanie Kirk, of Pompton Lakes, visited the jail Tuesday to watch him be sworn in.

"I'm very proud of him," Sherry Sudol, his mother, said.

Allie Sudol said she was so happy to see her brother pursuing his dreams.

"That's his heart and soul, that's always what he wanted to do," she said.

Sudol said he is excited to work at the jail and that he is proud to join the officers of Morris County.

In addition to Sudol, the following officers were sworn in: Michael Adubato, Lincoln Park; Rony Giordano, Parsippany; Sherman Siino, Parsippany; Brandon Williams, Denville; Kevin Kukan, Rockaway Township; Patrick Wlazel, Riverdale; Gregory Helfrecht, Randolph; and Frank Corrente Jr., Roxbury.

David Jenkins, a Roxbury resident, was promoted and sworn in as a sergeant.

All of the officers had to endure physical and mental examinations before being sworn in. The new officers began working at the jail last week.

The jail is run by Morris County Sheriff Edward Rochford, who greeted family members and friends of the nine new officers and one promoted officer at the jail Tuesday.

"Always strive to do the best you can every day that you can," Rochford told the new officers, who will spend about a year working at the jail before attending the academy.

Rochford warned the new officers that they will have "bad days" mixed in with the good days, but to try to focus on the future.

"Don't let the little things bother you, there's always a tomorrow coming up," he said.

Undersheriff Frank Corrente also welcomed the new officers and explained the challenges of the officers' jobs to their relatives and friends.

"This isn't a job that's physically demanding. Mentally, it's very bad," he said.

During a tour of the facility, Corrente explained the emphasis he puts on officers having an hour to themselves to "relax" during an 8.5-hour shift. Jail employees have a separate cafeteria from inmates where they can eat with each other and take breaks. Employees are not allowed to leave the facility for breaks.

Corrente said his main priority is ensuring the safety of not only the inmates, but the officers as well. He said he hopes that the officers can go home each day proud of the work they do.

"When you go home, try not to be too tired and too cranky," he said.