Crime & Safety

Fontoura Sworn In For Eighth Term

Sheriff took oath Wednesday morning at Veterans Courthouse for record-setting term.

Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura was sworn in for a record-setting eighth term Wednesday morning at the Veterans Courthouse.

Fontoura, 69, has served as the Essex County Sheriff since 1990, but he has been involved in the county’s police force long before that. 

Fontoura began as Newark police officer in 1967, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a captain and then chief assistant to the police director. In 1986, he became an Essex County Undersheriff, where he served until he was appointed sheriff in 1990.

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He won re-election in November after defeating challenger Orlando Mendez, garnering about 91 percent of the votes cast.


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