Morris County Bids A Fond Farewell To Tom Pollio

Published on December 20, 2021

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Thomas P. Pollio was honored tonight by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, who bid him a fond farewell upon his retirement as Division Director of Juvenile Facilities at the Morris County Department of Human Services after 20 years of service.

Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw presented Mr. Pollio and his family with an official Resolution of Honor for his service during the board's work session meeting in Morristown.

When he officially departs on Jan. 7, Mr. Pollio will have left behind two distinguished careers with Morris County.

The first began in 1985 in the Office of the Morris County Prosecutor, where he retired as a Lieutenant in 2001 after 16 years of service and was recognized for his dedication and leadership to the Special Enforcement Section’s Narcotic Task Force, the Fugitive Unit and the Intelligence Unit.

It was Jan. 1, 2002 when Mr. Pollio launched his second career in the Morris County Department of Human Services, assuming the position of Deputy Director of the Juvenile Detention Center, where he was soon promoted to become Division Director of Juvenile Facilities.

Mr. Pollio, in his capacity as Division Director, was instrumental in ensuring youth in the care of Morris County were provided with the highest standards of educational, health, recreational and safety needs.  Under his tutelage, Morris County’s Juvenile Detention Center and Youth Shelter emerged as a regional service as changes in state law and the economy left Morris County taking in youth from neighboring counties that had to close their juvenile facilities.

Pollio 1.jpg Also under Mr. Pollio’s administration, the Juvenile Detention Center was repeatedly acknowledged by the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission’s Compliance Monitoring Unit for exceeding expectations for safety measures, social services, visiting, restraining procedures, staff coverage and intake and admission procedures. In true testament to his leadership, the operations of Mr. Pollio and his staff were lauded by the Juvenile Justice Commission as a model for other detention centers.

The Morris County Juvenile Detention Center was specifically recognized for implementing specialized social services programming, such as Peer Mentoring, The Phoenix Program – Gang Awareness and Prevention, The Equine Program, Storytelling Arts Program, and for collaborating with the Morris-Sussex-Warren Workforce Development Board and Employment and Training Services.

In the Resolution of Honor, the Commissioners extended their sincerest gratitude to Mr. Pollio for his long, dedicated and distinguished career in law enforcement, and especially for the significant contributions he made toward insuring Morris County maintains the highest standards in serving juveniles.

 

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