Morris County Opens Public Safety Complex Expansion
Published on September 10, 2026
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Honors Skilled Trades Following Labor Day
Morris County’s new Public Safety Complex Expansion was dedicated yesterday with a ribbon cutting that also honored Labor Day, as the Morris County Board of County Commissioners joined members of the New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades Council in celebrating the trades workers who built the 65,540-square-foot facility.
The ceremony outside the new building on West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany Township included county Department of Law & Public Safety staff as well as more than a dozen trades workers and union leaders whose skills and craftsmanship brought the facility to life. The project, which got underway last year, was designed to enhance public safety and health responses in Morris County.
“More than a century later, Labor Day still reminds us that the strength of our communities rests on the skill, sacrifice and craftsmanship of American workers. And that message is especially relevant today, when so much attention is focused on technology -- especially artificial intelligence -- and how it is reshaping industries across the country,” said Director Stephen Shaw.
“But let me be absolutely clear: AI cannot replace the skilled trades. It cannot replace the men and women who pour the concrete, set the steel, run the electrical, install the HVAC, and make a building stand straight, safe, and strong. It cannot replicate the craftsmanship, judgment or pride required to turn drawings into the facility behind us,” he continued.
He presented a framed Resolution of Honor to David Critchley, president of the Morris, Sussex and Vicinity Building and Construction Trades Council and secretary-treasurer of the State Building and Construction Trades Council. The honor commemorated Labor Day and recognized the contributions of trades workers who built the Public Safety Complex Expansion and other Morris County projects, including facilities at the County College of Morris and the ongoing county criminal court expansion.
View More Photos from the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Representatives from the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 102 and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada Local 24 were also present at the ceremony.
Critchley accepted the resolution on behalf of the building trades and also addressed guests.
“I truly want to thank you for taking the time to shine a light on the trades and for giving us the opportunity to visit some of these trades and see the training and the work being done for younger people,” said Critchley. “For every five of us retiring, only two are coming into the trades to replace us. These are good jobs.”
“Our trades are open to everyone. I encourage young people to visit the trades and see what our work is about,” he continued, noting the well-paying professions and skills obtained through apprenticeship programs.
The expansion provides the Morris County Division of Public Health with a new, state-of-the-art location directly adjacent to the county’s emergency operations functions. The facility includes dedicated storage for personal protective equipment and garage space for emergency response vehicles and other equipment.
The project grew out of lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Board of County Commissioners convened a Strategic Planning Advisory Committee to evaluate how Morris County prepares for and responds to emergencies. The committee met 64 times to examine the County's emergency response capabilities and identify improvements needed to prepare for future emergencies.
While the county's Office of Emergency Management response was cited as a model for the rest of New Jersey, one of the committee's clearest conclusions was that the Division of Public Health needed to be located closer to the emergency operations team with which it works.
The expansion addresses that need while also creating additional space for the Morris County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division in Public Health’s previous location on West Hanover Avenue.
“This project also delivers a second benefit. By moving Public Health into this new space, we have freed up their former space for the Sheriff's Patrol Division -- space that is far better suited to their law enforcement needs,” said Director Shaw. “One project, two problems solved.”
The project was designed by The Musial Group Architects, with Dobco Group serving as general contractor and Legacy Construction Management Inc. serving as construction manager. The project was recognized earlier this year by the N.J. Alliance for Action as one of the state’s leading capital construction projects for excellence in planning, design and construction.
The Public Safety Complex Expansion is one of several major projects planned or underway in Morris County. Renderings displayed during the ceremony offered a look at what is coming next, including a new Criminal Courthouse and replacement K-9 Facility. The three county projects have been supported by $99.7 million in total funding approved by the County Commissioners, with 82.2 percent of funding from the county and 17.8 percent from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Morris County's partnership with the building trades also extends to educational facilities through investments the county has supported on the County College of Morris campus. Projects include the Center for Health Professions, scheduled to open next year; the Center for Culinary Science and Entrepreneurship, which opened earlier this year; and the Morris County Vocational School District's career training center, which opened its doors on the college campus to hundreds of high school students in 2025.
Following the ribbon cutting, guests were invited to tour the new facility and view renderings of upcoming County projects.
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Photo 1: (l-r) Sheriff James Gannon, Jamie Serittella, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EASRCC); Commissioner Doug Cabana; Paul Fiore, Business Representative, IBEW Local 102; Commissioner Deb Smith; Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw; Mike LaBella, Morris Sussex County Building & Construction Trades Council; David Critchley, President, Morris Sussex County Building & Construction Trades Council and Secretary Treasurer, New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council; Kermit Hartman, Business Agent, Plumbers Local 24; Commissioner Deputy Director John Krickus; Bob Hopkins, EASRCC; Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo; Tom Iveson, EASRCC; Commissioner Christine Myers; Commissioner Tayfun Selen and Domenic Recine, EASRCC.
Photo 2:The ribbon is cut at the opening of the ceremony to celebrate the dedication of the Morris County Public Safety Complex.
Photo 3: (l-r) Morris County OEM Director Jeff Paul; Morris County Law & Public Safety Assistant Director Lauren Burd; Law & Public Safety Director Scott DiGiralomo; Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, Deputy Director John Krickus; Commissioner Christine Myers; Commissioner Doug Cabana; Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo; Director Stephen Shaw; Commissioner Deb Smith; Morris County Public Works Director and County Engineer Chris Vitz; and Morris County Division of Public Health Director Carlos Perez, Jr.
Photo 4: Morris County emergency vehicles sit in the bays of the new Morris County Public Safety Complex.