Prosecutor's Plainfield outreach to end

As Plainfielders begin to absorb the shock of what cuts in state aid will mean, word comes that Union County Prosecutor Romankow's community outreach office at the former St. Mary's School will close at the end of March.

Still known throughout the community as 'the SALT program' (though its name was changed in recent years to 'the CP Unit'), the office and its dedicated staff have been instrumental in rebuilding Plainfield's network of block associations and neighborhood groups, in the process helping the groups strengthen themselves and provide both more useful services to their neighborhoods and better 'eyes and ears' to the Police Division in fighting crime.

CP Unit's Tiffany Wilson (right) talks with resident Mary Ellen Chanda
at the Netherwood Station cleanup during the 2007 National Night Out
event last August. Councilor Linda Carter is in the background.

In addition, the CP Unit has been involved in coordinating the Operation CeaseFire program, the partnership between the city, the County Prosecutor's office and the State Police. A hallmark of this program has been beefed up patrols, targeted busts, and an intense effort to combat gun-related crimes by treating each gun incident with the same level of seriousness as if it were a homicide.

In an email circulated yesterday afternoon, Assistant Prosecutor Tiffany Wilson, in charge of the Plainfield outreach office, broke the news to community groups and leaders --

I am sorry to say that the CPUnit of the Union County Prosecutor's Office formerly SALT will definitely be closing at the end of March.

As many of you know, we have long struggled with the State over our funding. They delayed a funding answer for over 6 months. We tried to help by rearranging our budget to get us through last October, but still no answer. In addition there were continually changing grant requirements from then until now. Add to that, ever increasing cuts in other grants that help ensure that our victims are well attended to and that ensure as few people as possible lose their jobs and you end up where we are today.

We have begun conversations with city officials who will be making arrangements to take over some of the work we have begun here in Plainfield. For the moment I will continue to convene the agency meetings and Block Association Liaison meetings at a location to be determined. I will continue my work at the Plainfield Police Division and obviously as a resident of the Queen City my heart will remain here as well. I am proud of the work we have all begun and I hope all of us will work together to continue to improve upon it.

Many of you have expressed concern about our staff, the office is working diligently to ensure that our staff is placed if they choose to continue working for the county.

To all of you who have already sent letters and emails of support be assured that we have forwarded them to our contacts in the state who are still supportive and impressed with what we are doing. I have it on good authority they are being passed on. I am also forwarding them to our staff and the Prosecutor so that we are all reminded that those who we are doing this work for, the citizens and our partners, have appreciated our presence in Plainfield. Thank you for your kind words of support.

In the next week or so we will begin packing up our offices. There is some furniture that was donated by or to the SALT foundation that may be available to agencies that help service the city. If anyone is interested in any of it pleas let us know. You will need to make arrangements to pick it up during the last week of March though you can claim it before then.

Thank you all again for all of your support and hard work. We do hope that you will build upon what we have been a part of helping to start.

In spite of the bad news, there still appear to be those at the state level who are supportive of continuing the program. Any expression of support you wish to make to the CP Unit will be forwarded to the Prosecutor and friendly state contacts.

Please consider reaching out to the CP Unit at (908) 791-7130 if you have words of support to share.

Meanwhile, Tiffany, Reggie and Maggie -- words cannot convey our heartfelt appreciation for ALL that you have done over the years. Thank you!

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-- Dan Damon

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