The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office has a new Chief of Detectives and while he’s new to the office, he’s certainly not a newcomer to law enforcement.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez says she appointed James A. Parker, who comes to the HCPO with three decades of law-enforcement experience having served in both Philadelphia and with the New Jersey State Police, where he rose to the rank of major, to the position.
Judge Jeffrey R. Jablonski swore Parker in during a small ceremony last week.
With the State Police, Parker was assigned to several important supervisory roles — including Administrative Lieutenant for the Superintendent and Commanding Officer of both the Administrative Section and the Office of Professional Standards.
As part of the superintendent’s leadership team, Parker managed staffs of over 100 officers, supervised budgets and departmental procurements and managed over $100 million in federal grants to the NJSP.
While serving as the Commanding Officer of the Office of Professional Standards, Parker directly oversaw the Internal Affairs team and worked closely with the Attorney General’s Office to further the integrity of the division and uphold the public confidence in law enforcement.
Suarez is excited about Parker coming to Hudson. Since her agency has had several internal incidents in the last few years, including the disappearance of evidence money from a lock-up, Parker’s arrival — he’ll be in charge of the HCPO’s internal affairs — comes at a critical time.
“Chief Parker is a leader who demands the best from himself and those who he supervises and he will bring this leadership style to our investigative units as we work to deliver the highest level of justice for the people of Hudson County,” Suarez said. “We are pleased to welcome him to our team and know he will accomplish great things.”
At the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Parker will oversee all of the Investigative Units, including the Special Investigations Unit which includes homicide, the Special Victims Unit and Internal Affairs. He will oversee a staff of approximately 120 investigators.
“I am honored and excited to be joining this incredible team of women and men of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office,” Parker said. “I am looking forward to bringing my experience and passion to the Hudson County community and to work with Prosecutor Suarez to deliver justice for crime victims and to continue to grow the public’s trust of law enforcement.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.