More About The Courts Division

The New Jersey Constitution mandates that all county sheriffs provide security for the Superior Court to protect judges, jurors, witnesses and others who work at or visit court facilities. Essex County Sheriff’s officers are charged with the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the judicial process by ensuring a safe and secure environment in and around the court complex.

To meet these responsibilities, the Essex County Sheriff’s Courts Division utilizes the services of more than 100 trained and armed Sheriff’s officers and nearly 40 unarmed civilian security officers who are assigned to point-of-entry security screening, courtroom and security details at other county government facilities.

Officers assigned to our Courts Division provide security and protective services at four locations which comprise the Essex Vicinage of the Superior Court.

Those locations are:

• Essex County Veterans Courthouse
  50 West Market Street, Newark, New Jersey
• Essex County Hall of Records
  465 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Newark, New Jersey
• Essex County Historic Courthouse
  470 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Newark, New Jersey
• Wilentz Justice Complex
  212 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey

Different types of superior court activity occur at each of these four court locations.

Headquartered at the Veterans Courthouse are the Assignment Judge and the Essex Vicinage Criminal Division. The Essex Vicinage Civil Division operates from the Hall of Records and the Historic Courthouse. The Wilentz Justice Complex houses the Essex Vicinage Family Division including Equity and Tax Court sections.

Sheriff’s officers are also deployed at other judiciary and county government sites to provide the same level of security for employees, visitors and property throughout Essex County.

In addition to protecting those who work within or those who visit our court and county government facilities, the Courts Division deploys officers on external patrol duties in the immediate vicinity of these sites.

Our Emergency Medical Technician Unit responds to all calls for medical assistance in court facility emergencies.