Homeland Security
Homeland Security
On November 10, 2003, Sheriff Armando Fontoura appointed Garey Chin, the former Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s New Jersey Divisional Office in Newark, as Director of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office of Homeland Security.
Sheriff Fontoura charged Director Chin with the responsibility of supervising, coordinating and administering Essex County counter-terrorism and preparedness efforts.
Director Chin, an expert in foreign counterintelligence and terrorism, is responsible for the daily coordination of all homeland security organizational, operational and investigative functions throughout Essex County. These functions are conducted in close cooperation with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office of Homeland Security coordinates terrorism training and multi-agency intelligence resources, reviewing, analyzing and disseminating intelligence threat warnings, watch-lists, alert bulletins and all investigative activity in Essex County.
Our Office of Homeland Security is responsible for the administration, resource allocation and coordination of training for all Sheriff’s Office personnel assigned to the Essex County Rapid Deployment Team, a multi-agency task force that responds to all local, county, state and national terrorist events and disasters. Director Chin also serves as the administrator / on-scene commander for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team (TRT).
Our Office of Homeland Security is also charged with the application, procurement and management of annual grant funding awarded to Essex County by the federal Department of Homeland Security. Since 2001, Essex County has received more than $26 million in federal and state grants for homeland security and emergency management equipment, training and critical infrastructure target-hardening.
Additionally, Director Chin is Chairman of the Essex County Multi-Disciplinary Working Group. The group is responsible for establishing operational needs and procurement details for grant funding programs.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office of Homeland Security also works in close harmony with the Essex County Office of Emergency Management as well as state emergency management and homeland security offices and the New Jersey State Police.