By C1 Staff
LEESBURG — Corrections officer Frederick Baker’s life was taken 18 years ago today, when an inmate with a contraband weapon stabbed him to death.
The anniversary of his death was observed during a ceremony at the prison where he worked and died, Bayside State Prison, according to NJ.com.
The ceremony will be attended by family, prison staff and state officials.
“As the head of the union at Bayside and Southern State, I speak for all of the civilian employees by remembering Baker and by thanking the corrections officers at Bayside and Southern State for making both prisons safe and secure,” Mike Makara, the Communications Workers of American 1040 branch president, wrote in a press release.
“Rest in peace, Officer Baker.”
Following Baker’s death, a program was instituted to provide officers protection from stabbings. To date, the program has provided over 13,000 vests to officers all over the country.
Since 2002, July 30 has been observed as Corrections Officer’s Day in New Jersey, in an effort to bring more recognition to correctional officers and prison workers.