acja honors secretary chertoff with gene carte memorial award

On April 19, the law and justice chapter of The College of New Jersey Alumni Association, along with the Criminology and Justice Studies Department and the American Criminal Justice Association, honored United States Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff with the Gene Carte Memorial Award.

The Gene Carte Award, in honor of the founder of the Law and Justice Department at the College, is given annually by the College’s student chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) in recognition of an outstanding individual in the field of criminal justice who has displayed exemplary leadership and service in New Jersey.  Previous honorees include United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and former New Jersey State Attorney General Peter Harvey. Brian Vanadia, a junior criminology and justice studies major and president of the College's chapter of ACJA, played a major role in bringing Chertoff to campus and presented the award.

Chertoff, a New Jersey native born in Elizabeth and currently residing in Bernardsville, was sworn in as the second secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Formerly, he served as United States circuit judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.  Chertoff was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the Bush Administration as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As assistant attorney general, he helped trace the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the al-Qaeda network and worked to increase information sharing within the FBI and with state and local officials.

After accepting the award, Secretary Chertoff addressed the audience on the challenges and rewards in the field of criminology and justice. 

"These careers [in criminology and justice] are a tremendous window to help with the issues of our time," he said. 

He noted that his time as a federal prosecutor for the District of New Jersey and as first assistant U.S. attorney of the District of New Jersey enabled him to work with local police, state police, and officials from other states to fight organized crime and political corruption.  

"The enormous power you have in these positions to help others makes the job very rewarding," Chertoff asserted.

Chertoff’s judgeship introduced him to the challenges of trying to simultaneously achieve justice and fairness.  The results of this system allow the people to be satisfied, which made this position very gratifying for Chertoff.    

“Building what I like to call an ‘architecture’ to preserve our way of life but to also protect, that is a tremendous challenge,” he said. 

Chertoff noted that 9/11 is to the next generation as World War II was to his father’s generation. He believes that a career in criminology and justice can continue to prepare students for the future challenges the United States will face. 

"These careers are as rewarding as any for public service," he concluded.  "The work you will do will have a direct, positive impact."

Later in the evening, the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs honored George Wagner ’97 with the Law and Justice Alumni Award. Wagner is currently the director of public safety of Hunterdon County and director of Hunterdon County Department of Corrections. He has served the department since 1980. An active member of the corrections profession, he has also served on various boards and committees, including as chairman of the County Training Advisory Committee and president of the New Jersey County Jail Wardens’ Association.