Bergen County is unique: With 70 municipalities spanning 250 miles, it is home to nearly a million residents. So it’s no surprise that its sheriff, Anthony Cureton, has his work cut out for him, leading a team of nearly 700 officers and civilians serving the area. As part of his campaign for reelection,
Sheriff Cureton joined The Jewish Link’s Pitch Meeting podcast to share his story and aspirations — and what makes him want to continue shaping the Bergen County community.

Cureton is approaching reelection for the third time and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to continue putting in the hard work for Bergen County. “God hasn’t told me to relax yet, so I’m still running.”

His enthusiasm can be traced all the way back to his upbringing; born and raised in Englewood, Cureton returned to his hometown to serve as a police officer, ultimately putting in 25 years of service at Englewood PD. “My uncle was a chief of police in South Carolina and my brother was a New York City police officer who retired in 2014 like myself,” he shared.

Prior to taking his position as Bergen County sheriff six years ago, Cureton served as the president of the local chapter of the NAACP in addition to his work as a professor at Ramapo College teaching classes on race and law enforcement. During that time, Cureton fostered an allyship between the local Black and Jewish communities, spotlighting his commitment to building bridges. Recalling his speech during the debate over erecting an eruv in Mahwah— during which he stated clearly “hate has no home here,”— Cureton noted that standing up for the Jewish community, as he has done for all communities, was a “special moment” indeed.

“That moment was important for understanding culturally what we are all going through when it comes to people attacking each other,” Cureton shared. “I took that to heart.”

As Bergen County sheriff, Cureton has overseen many different initiatives throughout the law enforcement sphere, including the recent name change of the Bergen County Jail to the Bergen County Corrections and Rehabilitation Center. He explained that the change stems from his time as a teacher and as the head of the NAACP, when he was exposed to the inner workings of the “jail culture.” Cureton understood that despite incarceration, inmates could be afforded more opportunities to transition back into the community, with things like obtaining a GED, resume preparation and a higher quality education, as well as vocational training and addiction rehabilitation.

“The reality is that the county jail is transitional; either you’re in it for the long haul and you’re going to state prison, or you do a couple years with us and return to the community,” he said. “When it’s time for you to return, what are you doing? We don’t want those who were incarcerated to come out empty-handed and have a greater likelihood of committing a crime again.”

With this in mind, Cureton mobilized multiple programs at the county jail, ultimately leading to the new name. “We wanted to change the stigma. It’s a small difference that can really help.”

Cureton also created “Path Forward,” a mobile program aimed at providing information for those who are suffering from addiction, which now involves Bergen County’s and the state’s health services as well. “We want to come together to address this issue,” Cureton shared, another demonstration of his commitment to creating partnerships in the community.

During his service, Cureton has also dealt with an unprecedented phenomenon: the targeted hate of Jewish residents in Bergen County. “We’re still on heightened alert,” said Cureton. With that comes constant contact with Jewish residents as well as a twice-yearly security briefing in which law enforcement is made aware of what to expect during that time.

“Because of our difficulty accessing synagogues on the Sabbath, we created door handles to place on the doors to let people know we checked on you,” Cureton explained, adding that each handle contains a QR code so that people can provide their personal information if mass notification is ever needed, in addition to the public service announcements that are sent via the Bergen County Sheriff’s app.

“We have definitely increased patrol throughout the county,” Cureton shared of law enforcement’s efforts to protect the Jewish community and all others as well. “In addition, we are working on establishing more protocol in the event that, God forbid, something happens on the Sabbath.” The sheriff described the working relationship he maintains with synagogue and school security in order to continue making sure that Jewish residents of Bergen County feel safe.

In addition to their work with community patrol, the Sheriff’s Office also has critical relationships with state and federal law enforcement, all working to protect the area from crime. This includes a weekly meeting at the Department of Homeland Security’s Newark office, where all agencies discuss various security issues in order to keep a line of communication open, especially when it comes to dealing with the high volume of reported hate crimes.

“The constant good thing for the Sheriff’s Office is the expansion of our relationship with the entire community,” said Cureton. “We can all find a way to coexist; communication is critical for that, and that’s why we are trying to implement a way to understand each other so we can serve and protect. We can have a safer community that way … and Bergen is considered one of the top 10 safest counties in the nation.”

Ultimately, Cureton has seen his service in Bergen County as a “blessing,” considering how many opportunities he’s had to build relationships with all types of people. “It was a challenge for me to come in at 21 years old and resolve situations where I knew everyone, but I was fortunate to have senior officers who helped break me in and learn to deal with that.”

“Not to be biased, but you’ve got the greatest sheriff’s office here in Bergen County. I lead, but the officers and the civilian employees do all the work and realize the importance of taking care of our community, especially with our great relationships. Who has it better than us?”

Listen to the full interview with Cureton on the Pitch Meeting podcast, available wherever on most major podcasts and on The Jewish Link’s YouTube channel.

Channa Fischer the digital editor of The Jewish Link and the producer of the Pitch Meeting podcast.