Crime & Safety

Public-Private Partnerships Drive Increased Security in Gloucester County

The county Prosecutor's Office has helped bring nearly $7 million in Homeland Security grants.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, polymer manufacturer Solvay Solexis saw the need to increase security around its sprawling plant in West Deptford, and almost immediately spent about $1 million on its own to begin the process.

Not long after, the company used money from the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to install surveillance cameras, later upgraded in 2010, along the perimeter of its 170-acre facility.

That work was part of a total of $6.88 million in DHS funding over the past decade, ranging from cameras to boats to additional training, much of which came through the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Find out what's happening in West Deptfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Charles Jones, Solvay Solexis's human resources manager, said their connections with the Prosecutor's Office are critical.

“Thankfully we have the people in the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office available to help us obtain the grants and coordinate the projects,” Jones said.

Find out what's happening in West Deptfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton said the county is better protected thanks to those projects, which help local law enforcement officials guard potential targets, such as the oil refineries and chemical plants along the Delaware River, as well as the developing Port of Paulsboro.

“There has been a significant upgrade in our preparedness for critical incidents,” Dalton said. “We have received tremendous cooperation from businesses which operate much of what is considered the county’s critical infrastructure.”

Some of those upgrades include about 100 security cameras that route through a microwave transmitter to bring images of public and private facilities directly to the county 9-1-1 center and automated license plate readers to help police spot stolen vehicles and fugitives.

DHS also funded an inflatable Zodiac patrol boat, which the prosecutor said supplements patrols by larger Coast Guard and New Jersey Marine Police boats along Gloucester County’s 26 miles of shoreline.

Beyond the specialized gear and cameras, Dalton helped launch a public-private partnership between private security and law enforcement officials, which now spans two counties in the Gloucester-Salem Security Initiative, which aims to better prepare those groups for potential acts of terrorism or catastrophic events.

“While public funding for various projects and equipment is vital, our security upgrades would not have been possible without the relationship we’ve built between law enforcement and the private sector in the years since 9-11,” Dalton said.

Creating the Gloucester-Salem Security Initiative has led to other benefits, such as the county Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Emergency Response teams getting access to industrial sites to drill in real-life settings.

The SWAT team has also used DHS grants to get an armored personnel truck and a camera-equipped robot, which are used in high-risk operations, like hostage situations and barricaded individuals.

Prosecutor's Office personnel also conducted training as part of the “Gloucester County On Patrol” program for most non-law enforcement local and county workers who travel through the course of their workdays, and encouraged them to recognize and report suspicious activities.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.