Although they’re unsure how much specialized training Hudson County Corrections officers should get, the Hudson County Freeholders passed a resolution two weeks ago that will award a $270,000 contract to a Somerville firm.
Freeholder William O’Dea led questioning on why Rossi Psychological services should get a $29,000 increase to continue psychological training to guards.
"It has been my experience that if you provide this training, it is done over a period of time and then you go on to provide updates," O’Dea said. "But what seems to be going on here is a continued training. Do the guards just get the same lessons over and over again?"
Abe Antun, acting county executive, said the training is ongoing, and that services are provided to new guards as well.
The one-year contact award to Rossi Psychological will give instruction to guards, supervisors and others in 15 areas, including stress management, ethnic and racial diversity, anger management and spotting suicidal tendencies. Different courses are provided to supervisors than to rank and file, although training will be provided to about 500 county employees in total.
Public Safety Director Ralph Green said corrections officers needed it partly because they did not get academy training. He said that with corrections officers, who deal so closely with inmates, the training is needed even more.
Sheriff Joseph Cassidy said he had declined the service for the county’s sheriff’s department largely because the same instruction was required as part of academy training and because he saw no reason to duplicate the service.
Green said, "It is my philosophy that you train [corrections] officers in this area, and then retrain them and retain them."
Green said diversity training was particularly necessary in Hudson County because Hudson County facilities have perhaps the most ethnically diverse population of any facility in the country.
The new contract also will provide training for the correction officers during the shifts officers work, rather than bringing the officers in on their own time. This reduces overtime costs.
Freeholder Barry Dudgeon noted that the new contract, would actually provide more classes than the previous contract.
O’Dea abstained on the contract while Freeholder Nidia Davila-Colon voted against it because of the rising costs.
Freeholder Chairman Sal Vega said correction officers need training to deal with stress an other issues, but understood the necessity to examine the pros and cons of the contract. Freeholder William Braker said he understood both sides of the argument over the contract, but felt that it was better to provide the service.
"I rely heavily on the opinion of our public safety professionals on this matter," he said. "They are the ones who understand the day to day problems these officers face."