Orange police captain receives award for her community work with ADAPT – Essex News Daily

ORANGE, NJ — For Orange Police Capt. Tangela Cummings, her job is about serving to her neighborhood. And now that neighborhood is saying a giant thank-you. Cummings will obtain the ADAPT Coalition Member of the Yr Award at an ADAPT dinner on Wednesday, Could 4, on the Essex County Hospital Heart in Cedar Grove.

ADAPT, or Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Workforce, is a coalition of people that work towards decreasing underage consuming and drug abuse in Essex County. Its members embrace youths, dad and mom, educators, police, substance abuse professionals, religion leaders, authorities representatives and different involved residents.

“Capt. Cummings has been a devoted public servant all through her whole 22-year skilled life,” ADAPT senior supervisor Joel Torres advised the File-Transcript. “I had the consideration of working with Capt. Cummings a number of years in the past when she was a lieutenant for the Orange Police Division. In each interplay with Capt. Cummings, we’ve been capable of carry out programming that focuses on all residents of Orange, particularly in programming associated to youth and older adults. Earlier than the pandemic, we collaborated on varied efforts with native youth to cut back the possibilities of adults buying alcohol for minors. Extra not too long ago, we’ve labored collectively on initiatives to develop the gathering of previous/unused prescription ache medicine, particularly with older adults in Orange. Simply final month, we collaborated on a profitable Scholar Athlete City Corridor Assembly organized by Capt. Cummings for Orange residents. The city corridor assembly educated the neighborhood on the danger of opioid use dysfunction, the danger of prescription medicine misuse by not too long ago injured youth athletes, and various approaches to ache administration. These are just some of the examples that show the reasoning why Capt. Cummings is deserving of this yr’s award.”

In accordance with Torres, Cummings can be an energetic member of ADAPT’s Prescription Medication Committee, which focuses on planning and implementing methods to cut back and forestall prescription medicine misuse/abuse in Essex County. She can be concerned within the Brown Bag Occasion, by which ADAPT works with legislation enforcement and native pharmacists to go to seniors to teach them on prescription medicine misuse/abuse, and within the Wellness Initiative for Senior Training Program, which is a six-week, evidence-based curriculum program for older adults to show them wholesome residing kinds and various approaches to ache administration.

“My first introduction to the ADAPT Coalition was working collectively to host an informative dialogue with dad and mom and college students in regards to the penalties of partaking in the usage of illicit medication. Throughout this undertaking, it was important to higher equip dad and mom with info to assist them acknowledge indicators of drug use,” Cummings advised the File-Transcript, highlighting her current work with the WISE Program. “I facilitated a Zoom name, which consisted of members of the ADAPT Coalition, OPD Neighborhood Service Division and managers from Orange Township senior services. 

“Additionally, my division oversees the gathering and correct disposal of unused or expired medicines all through the town of Orange,” she continued. “Nationwide (Prescription) Drug Take Again Day, hosted by the DEA, might be held on Saturday, April 30, starting at 10 a.m. We’re at the moment partnering with the Attain for Restoration cellular unit to carry sexual well being consciousness and drug prevention to our youth.”

In accordance with Cummings, ADAPT members genuinely need to make a distinction for seniors and youths locally. 

“Their dedication to protecting the general public well-informed in regards to the misuse of prescribed drugs … speaks volumes,” Cummings mentioned. “I had a chance to look at (ADAPT coordinator) Hector Perez and (prevention specialist) Alexis Raymond throughout a session of the WISE curriculum at a senior facility in East Orange. They had been enthusiastic about how they interacted with the seniors. You knew it was greater than a job. I hope the ADAPT Coalition continues to shine a brilliant gentle in areas that would turn out to be darkish if left with out choices.”

Along with seeing the influence her colleagues make locally, Cummings has been blessed to see the distinction she makes, as nicely.

“I began my journey in legislation enforcement 22 years in the past. Throughout that point, there have been many events I believe I’ve made a distinction in somebody’s life,” Cummings mentioned. “I present empathy and compassion in direction of others. This has been displayed all through my journey. It might be a fellow co-worker who approaches me and states, ‘I nonetheless keep in mind once I got here on the job, the way you inspired me and advised me I may make it.’ It might be once I responded to a name of service when a highschool scholar refused to go to high school as a result of she didn’t have the right uniforms to put on and she or he felt embarrassed. After I cleared the decision, I went to Forman Mills on Major Avenue and bought her three polo-style shirts and three pairs of pants. It may merely be the various Megan’s Legislation registrants who thank me for not judging them and remaining skilled. It might be a lacking juvenile who was returned to their dwelling safely and the sigh of reduction upon the guardian or reporting particular person’s face. It might be the alternatives I needed to converse to former college students of the Orange Excessive College or Orange Center College as adults; to listen to them recall how I handled them or made them really feel once I was a college useful resource officer makes me know that I’ve positively impacted their lives. For that, I’m grateful.”

Torres lauded Cummings for her dedication and her drive to go above and past for the neighborhood. 

“Legislation enforcement companions, like Capt. Cummings, are an incredible useful resource to help with the prevention of substance use inside communities as a result of they deal with progressive community-driven methods to search out the foundation causes of issues impacting our communities,” Torres mentioned. “For instance, we’ve labored intently with our legislation enforcement companions to develop everlasting prescription medicine disposal websites situated inside police departments in Essex County. Companions like Capt. Cummings don’t simply cease there. They go into the neighborhood to teach (residents) on the dangers of medicine misuse/abuse and meet them the place they’re to gather any previous or unused medicines. They develop upon a simply policing mannequin to reinforce efforts by assembly folks the place they’re, discovering out the issues they’re coping with, and connecting them with companies and sources to help their wants. We’ve executed loads with companions like Capt. Cummings over the previous 10 years to develop restorative justice efforts and improve rehabilitation companies for people coping with substance-use issues.”

Orange officers agree with Torres that Cummings is deserving of this accolade.

“Capt. Tangela Cummings exemplifies the values of the Orange Police Division: integrity, professionalism and a ardour for social justice,” Police Chief Vincent Vitiello mentioned.

“Captain Cummings’ tireless efforts to struggle drug and alcohol abuse have been acknowledged by ADAPT, a corporation devoted to decreasing underage consuming and drug use abuse all through Essex County. We’re all happy with her,” Police Director Todd Warren mentioned.

“Capt. Cummings has raised the bar of service in the reason for stopping drug and alcohol abuse in our neighborhood,” Mayor Dwayne D. Warren mentioned. “We have fun her service to our residents each as a member of our legislation enforcement and as a member of ADAPT.” 

However Cummings was fast to shift a portion of the credit score to her colleagues.

“I really feel honored to be acknowledged for merely doing what I consider is my job. Please needless to say nothing is finished by me alone. The Neighborhood Service Division is small in numbers; nonetheless, we’re a crew. The work that’s being acknowledged outcomes from having the help of Director Todd Warren and Chief Vincent Vitiello,” Cummings mentioned. “Additionally, collaborating with different teams with widespread targets, such because the ADAPT Coalition and Attain for Restoration, we are going to proceed to carry our sources collectively to develop new and progressive initiatives that tackle the wants of the town of Orange Township residents.

“My preliminary response to discovering out that I used to be a recipient of this yr’s award was merely a sense of gratitude,” she continued. “To be able to face aspect by aspect with a few of this yr’s recipients felt wonderful. The final word reward for me is to be part of the answer.”

  ADAPT, Drugs, FEATURED, Mayor Dwayne Warren, Orange Police Department