With the retirement of long-time Somerset County Sheriff, Frank Provenzano, elections were held in 2019, and the elected candidate, Darrin Russo, is also part of the Franklin community.
During his campaign, Russo stressed the importance of the community and the involvement of the Sheriff’s Office within it. His main goals include maintaining safety within schools, places of worship, and businesses throughout Somerset County, all of which play big roles in our community. He is aiming to be able to work with local police in order to prevent hate crimes, fight the opioid epidemic, and reconstruct the prisoner reentry program and prisoner transports.
“The three important things are communication, communication, communication,” says Russo, “If you don’t have it you’re lost, the unit’s lost, the people are lost.”
Russo has lived in Franklin since the start of his career on the police force and has sent all his children through the public school system. When asked about how living in such a diverse town has impacted how he works, he answered, “It expands the mindset of your officers. You get to look at things from a different perspective, whether it be religious, traditional, or even family, there’s a lot of different perspectives of cultures that just helps you grow.”
And for any future officers out there, he advises doing well in school, getting a degree in another trade, and of course, keeping a clean record!