Bill Text: NJ S1632 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates July 30th of each year as "Corrections Officers Day."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-04 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S1632 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S1632-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Designates July 30th of each year as "Corrections Officers Day."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act designating July 30th of each year as "Corrections Officers Day" in New Jersey to recognize all corrections officers and to honor those who have been killed in the line of duty.
Whereas, The operation of correctional facilities represents a crucial component of the criminal justice system in the United States, and correctional personnel play a vital role in protecting the rights of the public to be safeguarded from criminal activity; and
Whereas, Corrections officers in the State of New Jersey oversee the State's correctional facilities and are responsible for the care, custody, and maintenance of more than 25,000 inmates charged to their care; and
Whereas, To carry out their responsibilities, corrections officers work under demanding circumstances and face danger in their daily work lives, which sometimes results in the loss of life; and
Whereas, On July 30th, 1997, Senior Corrections Officer Fred Baker paid the ultimate price when he was brutally stabbed to death by an inmate at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, Cumberland County; and
Whereas, In addition to Senior Corrections Officer Fred Baker, numerous New Jersey corrections officers have lost their lives in the line of duty; and
Whereas, In 1984, former President Ronald Regan signed Proclamation 5187, which designated the first week in May as "National Correctional Officers Week" in honor of corrections officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect the public from dangerous criminals and to help prisoners work toward becoming productive members of society; and
Whereas, In 1996, Congress expanded and renamed this special week "National Correctional Officers and Employees Week" in recognition of all those employed with city, state and federal correctional departments; and
Whereas, In accordance with the federal government's recognition of the indispensable contributions that corrections officers make every day to protect our citizens from harm, and in honor of those corrections officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in upholding their duty to the public here in New Jersey; now, therefore,
Be It Enacted by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. July 30th of each year shall be designated as "Corrections Officers Day" in the State of New Jersey in recognition of the dedicated service corrections officers have rendered to their fellow citizens.
2. The Governor shall issue annually a proclamation designating July 30th of each year as "Corrections Officers Day," and with the Legislature call upon all citizens of the State and all other public and private agencies and organizations to celebrate "Corrections Officers Day" by appropriate observance.
3. The Governor shall direct the staff at the State's correctional facilities to fly the flag of the United States and the State flag at half-staff in honor of all those corrections officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would designate July 30th of each year as "Corrections Officers Day" in New Jersey to recognize and honor corrections officers for their hard-work and continuous efforts to keep the residents of New Jersey safe by protecting the rights of the public to be safeguarded against criminal activity. To fulfill this responsibility, corrections officers are responsible for supervising and rehabilitating inmates in their care to ensure these individuals are capable of making a positive contribution to society upon their release from correctional facilities.
In an effort to carry out their responsibilities, corrections officers are continuously exposed to dangerous situations that can result in the loss of life. Fred Baker was one of several corrections officers who sacrificed his life to protect the public interest. The heroic efforts of Senior Corrections Officer Baker and numerous others who lost their lives in the line of duty will forever remain in the hearts and minds of their family members, as well as the citizens of New Jersey who are encouraged to honor, cherish and remember the sacrifices these individuals made on their behalf.
