Ocean County

Department of Corrections

The Staff Development Unit is responsible for coordinating the orientation and continuing education of both the civilian and sworn staff of Ocean County Department of Corrections.

The SDU is supervised by DSgt. Robert Burns and is staffed by MCpl. John DeMarco.

The SDU coordinates the following initiatives:

• Officer Orientation Program

• Civilian Orientation Program

• Contract Staff Orientation Program

• Volunteer Orientation Program

• Firearms Qualification and Training Program

• Inservice Staff Development Program

• Instructor Development Program

• Field Training Officer Program

• Training Referral Program

History of the Staff Development Unit

The original Training Unit was established by Warden Hutler on January 1, 1985.

The Unit was commanded by Lieutenant Ted Tobiassen (retired). Lt. Tobiassen was also very active in the New Jersey State Correction Officer Training Academy (COTA) and developed the first lesson plans for County Correction Officers when Correction Officer training came under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Police Training Commission in the late 1980's. Through Lt. Tobiassen's efforts and professionalism, the Basic Course increased from four weeks to eight weeks over a two year period. The Lieutenant was assigned to the COTA for over two years under an inter-governmental service agreement between Ocean County and the State and was a pioneer in transforming Corrections from a job to a profession. Lt. John Clark currently heads the Staff Development Unit.

On April 1, 1985, Warden Hutler named Sergeant Martin Vavra (retired Lieutenant) as the Department's first Range Master. Under Lt. Vavra, the Department's Pistol Team won numerous trophies and awards at both County and State pistol matches during the 1980' and 1990's. Detective Sergeant Tom Emerson currently serves as the Department's Range Master.

State of The Art Training Facilities

Copyright © 2005 Ocean County Department of Corrections

Last modified: 02/08/13