News

December 20, 2016

Mayor Baraka and Public Safety Director Ambrose Open New Municipal Holding Facility

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Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, announced the closing of the municipal processing facility, located at 31 Green Street, following years of complaints.

This facility replaces an outdated lockup located in the basement of the former Police Headquarters at 31 Green Street, for which a replacement has been sought for more than 30 years.

“Serious problems with overcrowding and sanitation at the Green Street cell block have existed for decades,” Mayor Baraka said. “I am pleased that Director Ambrose took the initiative to close Green Street and replace it with a humane, advanced, state-of-the-art facility. And by centralizing the processing of detainees in one place, this new facility will save money and add to police efficiency enabling more officers to patrol our streets.”

Detainees will be received at a new Municipal Processing Unit, located at 480 Clinton Avenue in the Department of Public Safety Headquarters, within the next 90 days.

The new processing facility, to be staffed by Newark Police officers and civilian employees, will accommodate up to 82 detainees, specifically 73 men and nine women, versus the Green Street cell block, which was set up to hold only 50 men and eight women.

The new unit features an advanced, state-of-the-art security system, specifically designed for processing detainees. Additional features include an interlocking sally port for securely transporting detainees from vehicles into the unit; a centralized control room for viewing the activities of detainees; increased detainee space; an extensive camera system that will enable the monitoring and recording of activities within the facility; cell doors without bars to limit attempted suicides; and laundry facilities.

“Our new processing facility increases the safety of both police officers and detainees,” Director Ambrose said. “It also offers a decent and respectable environment for those individuals required to temporarily spend time there,” he added. 

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