[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 57 (Thursday, March 31, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE OF EDGAR WINFIELD BARCLIFF, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 31, 2022

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Edgar 
Winfield Barcliff, Jr. after his passing on March 16, 2022. Edgar was a 
beloved husband and family man as well as a proud son of Newark, NJ.
  Born in Newark in 1944, Edgar knew that helping his community and 
those most in need would be his life's work. He started off as a young 
cadet in the 1960s before he passed the examination to become an Essex 
County Correction Officer in 1970. He would serve a long and 
accomplished career at the Essex County Jail in Newark. In 1986, he 
became the first Correction Officer in Essex County to receive the 
Officer of the Year Award. Later, Edgar was the first Correction 
Officer from the State of New Jersey to be recognized as one of the top 
five Correction Officers in the country.
  Edgar continued his exemplary record of service when he completed a 
training course for investigators at the Criminal Justice Academy's New 
Jersey Division. After that, he was appointed as an Investigator at the 
Internal Affairs Bureau. In 1996, Edgar was promoted to Sergeant and 
became a Supervisor in the Internal Affairs Division of the same jail 
where he began his career. He was active in Newark's West Ward Civic 
Organization and received numerous awards and commendations from 
federal, state, county, and municipal agencies for his contributions.
  After more than 31 years of service, Edgar retired in 2002. But he 
continued his service with several local and national law enforcement 
organizations. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the New 
Jersey Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement 
Executives (NOBLE) and the National Director and Vice Chairman of the 
Correctional Peace Officers Foundation (CPOF). He was committed to 
supporting officers and their families as they navigated through the 
very demanding law enforcement profession. Edgar's law enforcement and 
volunteer work were both personal and professional for him. He was a 
fierce protector of his family, neighbors, and friends and a true 
advocate for safer, more just neighborhoods and community service. His 
legacy will live on through the people he touched--from the officers he 
mentored to the people in Newark and surrounding communities that he 
served to the family he loved.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
celebrating his life of public service and extend my deepest 
condolences to his spouse, children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, 
cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends.

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