Major discipline · 2025[1]
Suspended 15 days- Rank as reported
- Senior Correctional Police Officer
- Sustained charge(s)
- (a) General Causes (7) (12) HRB 84-17, as amended B2 - , loafing, idleness or willful failure to devote attention to tasks which could result in danger to persons or property D7 - Violation of administrative procedures and/or regulations involving safety and security E1 - Violation of a rule, regulation, policy, procedure, order or administrative decision
- Separated while IA pending
- No
Plain-language summary (this site, from the cited record only)
During a tour of Senior Correctional Police Officer Kirk Wilkerson's post at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility on 11/20/24, a sergeant found an incarcerated person out of his cell and inside the officer's side office in a closet with the lights off, wearing unauthorized clothing. Wilkerson admitted that he usually allows incarcerated persons on cleaning detail to be unsecured in the office, a violation of policy. He signed a settlement agreement for a 15-day suspension on 4/9/25.
Synopsis as reported by the agency
On 11/20/24, a Correctional Police Sergeant (CPS) at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility was conducting a tour of Senior Correctional Police Officer (SCPO) Kirk Wilkerson's post. An incarcerated person was observed engaging in passive recreation when the incarcerated person was under a loss-of-recreational-privileges sanction. During the second tour of the post by the CPS, the same Incarcerated person was observed out of their cell. It was discovered that an incarcerated person was improperly out of his cell and inside the SCPO’s side office in a closet with the lights off wearing unauthorized clothing (sweatshirt hoodie). SCPO Wilkerson stated that he was unaware the incarcerated person was in that closet in the dark in unauthorized clothing and that the incarcerated person was out of his cell in order to do his daily job of cleaning. SCPO Wilkerson admitted that he usually allows incarcerated persons on cleaning detail to be unsecured in the office which is a violation of policy. SCPO. Wilkerson signed a settlement agreement on 4/9/25 for a 15-day suspension.