Andrew C. Carey Middlesex County Acting Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey, who was sworn in to a five-year term as Middlesex County prosecutor on June 27, said he has made fostering greater cooperation among law enforcement agencies a priority.
“In the past year, we’ve increased law enforcement coordination with other agencies in the county, the state and at the federal level,” said Carey, who previously served for one year as acting county prosecutor.
Carey said he is honored and eager to continue serving as the chief law enforcement officer for the county.
“In the last year, we’ve accomplished much in the county prosecutor’s office,” Carey said. “I look forward to continuing that mission to constantly improve our performance and be able to give the citizens of Middlesex County the best service and protection that we can.”
He added that instituting a wider scope of special prosecutions, such as anti-corruption cases, and an annual “cold case review” appeared to be successful measures.
“We initiated a new cold case review where we take old murders off the shelf once a year, dust them off, and see what’s happening on them and if we can make any progress,” he said.
Carey, who served for more than a year as acting prosecutor, took the oath of office during a ceremony at the Middlesex County Administration Building in New Brunswick. Superior Court Judge Travis L. Francis, assignment judge for the Middlesex County vicinage, administered the oath.
Carey subsequently administered the oath to the assistant prosecutors and investigators for the prosecutor’s office.
Guests at the ceremony included members of the judiciary and county freeholder board, state legislators, state and county officials, law enforcement officials from other counties and officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Carey began serving as acting prosecutor on May 6, 2013, after he was nominated on March 31, 2013, by Gov. Chris Christie. The state Senate confirmed the nomination this June.
Carey has an extensive background in criminal prosecutions. Before joining Middlesex County, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Newark, where he worked as chief of the narcotics unit and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He began serving in the office in 2005 and was appointed chief in 2010.
He began his career in law enforcement in 1996, working as an assistant district attorney in the New York District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan until 2005.
He earned his law degree from Pennsylvania University’s Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pa., in 1996, and graduated magna cum laude from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1993.
He also is the recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, including recognition from the FBI and the New York City Police Department Joint Organized Crime Task Force; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Port Authority of New York; New Jersey Police Academy; and the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association.
According to a press release from the county, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office oversees 28 municipal and university police departments. The office handles more than 6,000 criminal complaints annually, has a budget of nearly $18 million and employs 190 people.