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Board renews Ambrose Group contract to continue jail audits amid union concerns about staffing and internal affairs
Summary
The board approved a contract (not to exceed $98,800) with the Ambrose Group to continue audits, staffing reviews and training at the Essex County correctional facility; unions raised concerns about civil‑service classifications, alleged retaliatory discipline, and access to surveillance systems.
The Essex County Board of Commissioners approved a contract continuation for the Ambrose Group to perform compliance audits, staffing analyses and supervisory training at the county corrections facility. Director Ron Charles described the award (contract ceiling $98,800) and introduced Anthony Ambrose, who summarized earlier findings and the scope of continued monitoring.
Ambrose said his team’s 2021 assessment and a follow‑up identified several critical issues that required prompt remediation — most notably, the absence of distributed Narcan at the facility at the time of earlier reviews, contraband vulnerabilities linked to multiple entry points and camera blind spots that impeded investigations. He told the board that roughly 90% of findings from earlier reports had been addressed and said the new phase will focus on staffing plans, scheduling, continued compliance verification and training for supervisors.
Union representatives used the public‑comment period to press multiple allegations and operational concerns. James Troisi, vice president of FOP 106, questioned civil‑service classifications at the Department of Corrections and said the operational review relied in part on staff without managerial authority; he also asked how many naloxone‑related medical incidents had occurred inside the jail and whether hospitalization counts post‑overdose had been tracked. Troisi and other union speakers alleged instances of questionable disciplinary timing and warned of possible retaliatory conduct tied to union activity. "We are actively researching federal criminal complaints," Troisi said on the record.
Director Charles and Ambrose stressed that the Ambrose Group’s work is intended to be independent oversight to identify and help remedy operational risks. Ambrose described the contract deliverables as continuing remediation tracking, producing written reports and working with labor and management to improve schedules and reduce overtime and staff burnout.
The board moved and approved Resolution 6 on voice and roll call; commissioners voting yes put the contract into effect. Commissioners asked for clearer staffing recommendations and said they wanted to ensure both staff and inmates are kept safe while the county implements longer‑term capital and personnel fixes.
What’s next: Ambrose will continue monitoring, produce a written report under the RFP requirements, and coordinate with county labor leaders on staffing proposals. The administration said implementation will include continued capital items (camera placements and access) and operational changes tracked through the Ambrose reports.
