MORRISTOWN: The Morristown Neighborhood House honored Keisha Higgs, a detective in the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, during the organization's annual Black History Month celebration Thursday night.

The honorees also included Morristown Neighborhood House Executive Director David Walker, former town council members Constance Montgomery and William Barber Jr. and community leader and mentor Lou Bullock.

Higgs has spent nearly a decade quietly earning the respect of her peers and people who cross paths with her, they said.

"She has a good heart and she's a very helpful person," said Perla Moran, community outreach coordinator for the Morristown Neighborhood House.

Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi and William Schievella, Chief of Investigations at the Prosecutor's Office, agreed. They nominated her for the award.

"Detective Higgs is a real class act. She is highly intelligent, friendly, tireless, has vision, is organized and is extremely capable. She is a tremendous asset to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and the citizens of Morris County," Bianchi said.

"She is an excellent tenacious detective with great interpersonal skills," Schievella said. "She is a great ambassador not only for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, but for law enforcement in general."

Higgs has a couple of firsts to her credit.

-First Morris County law enforcement officer to serve on the executive board of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. She serves as the treasurer.

-Supervisor of the first Community Affairs Unit in the history of the prosecutor's office.

-First officer to start a recruitment unit for the prosecutor's office, clearing the way for a diverse group of candidates.

Schievella noted, "Detective Higgs has been employed by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for close to nine years, and has proven to be a dedicated, hard-working, sincere investigator who tirelessly promotes diversity in law enforcement as well as the tenants of the office - fairness, dignity and the pursuit of justice for victims of crime."

She served as a victim witness advocate before she was appointed as a detective and assigned to the General Investigation Unit in July 2004. Before moving on to the Community Affairs Unit, she was assigned to the Missing Persons/Juvenile Unit.

Assistant Prosecutor LaJuan Tucker has been friends with her for six years. "She is modest, loyal and giving. She always goes above and beyond and out of her way for people."

Higgs said law enforcement work is her calling. "I do this because I know I can make a difference. It's about reciprocity. People have helped me in the past so I have to give back, lift people up and help people along the way."

This story was filed Feb. 26, 2009. Media Agent Bill Swayze may be reached at 973-285-6200.

MORRISTOWN: Praised for their commitment to improving the lives of their fellow African Americans, several community leaders were honored for their inspiration and achievement during the Morris County prosecutor's second annual Black History Month celebration.

Some 200 people attended the two-hour event sponsored by the prosecutor's office and the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) at the Morris County Administration and Records Building in Morristown.

Keynote speaker, Special Agent in Charge for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Matthew W. Horace, told listeners to be inspired not only by civil rights icons, but by their every day contemporaries who "stand for something."

"As much as we are all different, we are very much the same. To the right and to the left of us there is a person who shares a common denominator. If we look hard enough or talk long enough, there is always something that binds us and connects us all," Horace said.

Senior Deputy New Jersey Attorney General Hester Agudosi and Jiles Ship, president of the northern New Jersey chapter of the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives, William Primus, chief executive officer of the Morris County Urban League, and Della Crews, a news anchor for News 12 NJ thanked the prosecutor and Detective Keisha Higgs with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for organizing the event.

"It is an extreme honor for NOBLE to be recognized by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for achievement in a variety of communities," Ship said.

The effort to recognize leaders in the community makes good sense. "This is about building relationships," Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said. "We reach out to all ethnic groups and give credit where credit is due and recognize the great accomplishments of Americans such as those being honored tonight."

Since taking office in June 2007, one of the prosecutor's top priorities has been to improve relationships with communities and their leaders. The driving force is the prosecutor's First Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Zelante, Chief William Schievella and the office's community affairs unit , the first such unit in the history of the prosecutor's office.

Initiatives to reach the roots of the various enclaves is paying off. "We have started to build relationships with the people who are the leaders of their communities. We are everywhere, whether it's a briefing on the high holy days for the Jewish community or going to a soup kitchen or going to the African American community during Christmas time and wrapping gifts, or going into the Hispanic community or the Asian community to talk about issues relevant to their neighborhoods.

"Whether it is to talk about guns, gangs and drugs, or internet safety, we have been out there pounding the street so that we could give something to the community and the community could give something to us.

That has led to help from the communities. Tips from the community sparked three successful operations "and the seizure of more guns, drugs and assault firearms from the streets of Morris County than in the last five to 10 years combined," Bianchi said, calling the people who help police tackle crime "the eyes and ears of the communities."

He said Italians have suffered intolerance, negative stereotypes and inaccurate portrayals and "whether it's Italian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, or any other American, it makes no difference. Prejudice in any form is unacceptable."

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office will honor several distinguished African-American government, law enforcement and community leaders Monday, Feb. 9, when the prosecutor's office holds its second annual Black History Month celebration.

The prosecutor's office has partnered with the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) to put on the event. "This is a significant event. NOBLE is a distinguished organization and it is an honor for us to partner with them and recognize the achievements of these dignitaries," said Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi, Esq.

With 47 chapters and about 3,000 members in the United States, NOBLE was founded in 1976 in Washington D.C. during a three-day symposium to address crime in urban low-income areas.

Bianchi is no stranger to promoting the causes of minorities. After he was in private practice in 1996, he later founded and served as president of the Association of Civil Rights Attorneys of New Jersey. That move grew out of an outrage by the violation of a minority client's civil rights. A six-year legal battle followed, gaining him attention as a talented and aggressive civil rights litigator. He went on to represent many African-American and Hispanic citizens and police officers who were subjected to civil rights violations, illegal employment practices and discrimination.

Since taking office in June 2007, one of the prosecutor's top priorities has been to improve relationships with the faith-based leaders and their communities, including the African-American churches. That prompted him to create the first community affairs unit in the history of the prosecutor's office.

The Feb. 9 event will be held at the Morris County Administration and Records Building, on the 5th Floor, 10 Court St., Morristown, from 7 to 9 p.m.

The honorees include Senior Deputy New Jersey Attorney General Hester Agudosi and Jiles Ship, president of the northern New Jersey chapter of the National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives.

William Primus, chief executive officer of the Morris County Urban League, and Della Crews, a news anchor for News 12 NJ, also are in line to be honored that night. The keynote speaker will be Matthew W. Horace, special agent in charge for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Detective Keisha Higgs with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office is the first Morris County law enforcement officer to serve on NOBLE's executive board. The people being recognized deserve the spotlight, she said, noting, "It is important to salute the achievements of African Americans in our community and I am proud to be a part of this important event."

To view the invitation to this event, please click on the link below.
2009 Black History Month Invitation (.pdf)

(This story was filed Feb. 1, 2009. Media agent Bill Swayze can be reached at 973-285-6200.)