Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins has Some Explaining to Do

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL

 

June, 2011

For the last few years The Valley Patriot has sporadically received information about prisoners from the Lawrence Jail (the “Farm”) on Marston Street escaping from the facility.

Each time we are informed by law enforcement officials at other agencies that another escape has occurred, we wait.

We wait, and we wait … and we wait.

What we wait for is Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins to do the right thing, and let the public know that a prisoner has escaped and is running loose in our neighborhoods.

After all,he is required to do so by law.

But we wait endlessly with no satisfaction because Cousins has not been been telling the public when an escape takes place and we believe that has to change.

The most recent incident happened last month when a man named Jason Brown escaped from the “Farm” in Lawrence on Monday, May 30th.

Police were not informed until Tuesday May 31st. The public was informed … wait… the public was NEVER informed.

The people of Lawrence deserve to know when a criminal escapes in their neighborhood, as do the people of surrounding communities.

We are calling on our friends at the Essex County Sheriff’s department to step up to the plate, do the right thing, and notify the public immediately when a prisoner escapes their custody.

And we urge Sheriff Frank Cousins to explain to the taxpayers,(his bosses, by the way) why he has been so negligent in his duties and refused to notify the people of The Valley when someone escapes. Because we at the Valley Patriot… we’re still waiting!