Armando Fontoura

WHO'S WATCHING ESSEX COUNTY?

There's Nobody Behind the Wheel at the
Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management

(Newark, NJ) -- Five years after 9/11, the security of Essex County is being handled by an out-of-touch Sheriff, an out-of-county part-timer, and an out-of-work Police Director. In the wake of the anniversaries of the World Trade Center attacks and Hurricane Katrina disaster, today Detective Rich Mastrangelo called for a full public accounting of the structure of the Essex County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management as well as an audit of the millions in the homeland security funds it has spent.

ESSEX IS NOT READY FOR A TERROR ATTACK CRISIS

County Sheriff Admits His Emergency Management
Department is Unprepared for Mass Evacuation

(Fort Lee, NJ) -- Detective Rich Mastrangelo, candidate for Essex County Sheriff, today joined Sen. Tom Kean, Jr. in drawing attention to the Homeland Security needs of northern New Jersey. Essex County is particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks on its many bridges, rail lines, ports, and chemical plants--an area that has been called the "two most dangerous miles in America." Just two years ago, captured documents from al-Qaeda revealed the Prudential building in downtown Newark as a prime target. And our neighbor to the East, New York City, remains under constant threat from terrorists. Yet Sheriff Armando Fontoura says his Office of Emergency Management is still not adequately prepared for an evacuation of New York City passing through Essex County.

MAN DEAD ON COUNTY ROAD

County Sheriff Disbanding County Police
While County Properties Still Unprotected

(Newark, NJ) -- An East Orange man was found this week lying on South Orange Avenue with several gunshot wounds in his torso. He was found in the early morning just two blocks away from Vailsburg Park, a county park that should be under the protection of the County Sheriff. Detective Rich Mastrangelo, candidate for Essex Sheriff, today questioned Armando Fontoura's upcoming dissolution of the County Police, the very force charged with watching over the parks.

"It is a shame to lose the County Police. It is sad to see such a proud name and history come to an end. But more troubling than the loss of tradition is the loss of protection. Armando Fontoura claims the change will let him put more sheriff's officers in the parks. But the number of officers under his watch is not increasing--in fact it will decrease as former County patrolmen leave. His manpower problems remain, including the lack of enough officers for court security. Already Fontoura is using Bureau of Narcotics and Warrants officers for court duty to make up for the shortfall. He is more likely to pull the new 'Sheriff's Patrolmen' into the courts than to put more officers into the parks."

SUMMER VIOLENCE DEMANDS ACTIVE SHERIFF

County Parks and Roads are Frontlines
in Fight Against Gun Violence;
County Police Must Increase Patrols

(Newark, NJ) -- A young man in Orange is gunned down randomly in the street. Another taxi driver in Newark is found shot in his cab. In Irvington another young man is shot in the head. In Newark, three men die in three attacks in one weekend--and the next weekend there are three more. Responding to the heavy summer violence, Detective Rich Mastrangelo today again stressed the need for more County Police presence in the key areas of Essex County parks and roads.

"The man stabbed to death collapsed at North Munn Avenue near Vailsburg Park. That's a county park. Another victim, shot in his car, was just two blocks from Stuyvesant Avenue. That's a county road. Those areas should be under watch by the County Sheriff as head of the County Police," said Mastrangelo.

"Mayor Booker knows how critical the county areas are to Newark's public safety," continued Mastrangelo, candidate for Essex County Sheriff. . . .

A very old joke is often tailored to fit the Essex County Sheriff: what's the most dangerous place in New Jersey? Between Armando Fontoura and a camera. But some Newark insiders are becoming increasingly annoyed by Fontoura's public comments concerning the security of Mayor-elect Cory Booker -- who has allegedly been threatened by the Bloods, a Newark gang. While the Newark Police Department has declined to comment -- as do the U.S. Secret Service when it relates to presidential protection and the New Jersey State Police when it involves the Governor's protection unit, Fontoura has been more than willing to speak with reporters. Before joining the Sheriff's Department, Fontoura was the spokesman for the Newark Police Department.

Sheriff Candidate Mastrangelo:
WHO'S WATCHING
ESSEX COUNTY?
Culture of Lawlessness Continues
To Grip the County; Where's the Sheriff?

(Newark, NJ) -- The last 18 months have seen 18 teenage murders in Newark. In the last month a Newark man beat another man senseless on a golf course. And in just the last week another man is riddled with bullets in the South Ward and a small riot breaks out in front of East Orange High. Detective Rich Mastrangelo, candidate for Essex County Sheriff, asked today why Sheriff Armando Fontoura has not taken a more visible role in fighting the lawlessness running rampant in Essex County.

"When criminals think no one is paying attention, they aren't afraid to act out. When law enforcement doesn't take every crime seriously, criminals don't fear the consequences. If we want people to think twice before committing a crime in our county, there has to be an increase in police presence," said Mastrangelo, a decorated police officer with 23 years experience. "Municipal police have their hands full. The County Sheriff's Officers need to be redeployed on patrols and the Sheriff himself needs to be a visible leader. Essex needs a Sheriff who takes his job seriously, not one that cracks jokes about violent crime."

Current Sheriff Armando Fontoura's response to the violent crime on Weequahic golf course was "Apparently things became a little heated on the 12th hole," according to the May 9th New York Post. The victim was beaten so hard with No. 5 and No. 6 irons that both clubs broke on him. He suffered a large gash on his elbow and was placed on pain medication at the hospital.

"Being Sheriff is a 24/7 responsibility. Essex County deserves someone who takes the job seriously and is a role model for his officers and the public. The Sheriff must be an active leader," Mastrangelo added. "I am not promising to be some Moses of law enforcement who can make everything perfect. But what I can promise you is that as your Sheriff I will be there. I will be active. If I have to strap on a bullet-proof vest myself and lead my officers on raids to get the job done, that's what I'll do. Essex hasn't seen that kind of leadership for a while. After 16 years, it's time for a change."

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CONTACT: Rob Zwigard
(973) 714-9753 cell
Jack Grimes
(908) 887-2268 cell

A holdout among Essex County officials backing Cory Booker for Mayor is Carole Graves, the Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Graves is a former Newark Teachers Union President and a longtime political ally of Mayor Sharpe James.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Sheriff Armando Fontoura and County Clerk Christopher Durkin announced their support of Booker today. Booker backed Thomas Giblin against DiVincenzo in the 2002 Democratic primary.

Graves is not up for re-election until 2009. The post of Register has been eliminated everywhere but Essex and Hudson.