Freeholders appoint Nalls-Castillo as new Hudson County jail director

Tish Nalls-Castillo was appointed director of the Hudson County Department of Correction during yesterday’s Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting.

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxMu95jXbA0&feature=youtu.be[/fve]

The newly appointed director received support from staff and board members alike.

Captain Michael Conrad from the Hudson County Department of Corrections went on record thanking the board stating, “There’s a sea of blue here, so we all support our new director. I want to thank you for choosing her and giving us our new leader.”

With such a strong backing from corrections staff, board members showed support for the newly appointed director as well.

Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-5) stated, “To Director Nalls, the support that I see here today, that we see here today, I hope stays with you through the good times and the bad times. To lead a law enforcement organization in this day and age is a monumental undertaking that is going to challenge you in every way.”

“You are going to need the support of the immediate command staff, the Captains, and the middle management trickling down to the people and the most important resources of any law enforcement organization, the personnel that you have now the task of commanding and leading.”

Romano then went on to add that with the difficult challenges that come with corrections, he hopes that there is a “transparency” or an “open-door policy” between the newly appointed director and the freeholder board.

Nalls said a few words to express her gratitude to both her staff, who showed her support, and to the county officials who voted her into her new position before speaking to Hudson County View about her new position.

When asked which initiatives Nalls plans on making a priority she stated, “I think the most grievous issues that we have are union related. There are some relationships that need to be worked on and mended in order to move the department forward.”

Nalls later added that it is a priority to “weed out the people that have a badge but don’t have the integrity or credibility to match that badge.”

She had been serving as the department’s acting director since August 1, 2015, the effective retirement date of former Jail Director Oscar Aviles.