PUBLIC SAFETY - Key Persons


Major Crimes

Job Titles:
  • Division

Mark S. DiIonno


Raul Malave, III

Job Titles:
  • Asst. Public Safety Director
  • Interim Director
On June 30, 2022, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka appointed Raul Malave, III as Interim Public Safety Director. In this role, Director Malave will lead the Division of Police, Division of Fire and Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. He has oversight of more over 1,000 sworn police officers, 650 firefighters and over 350 civilian employees. Growing up in Newark's North Ward, Interim Director Raul Malave knew he was destined to become a public safety servant when, at age 7, his family's Summer Avenue home caught on fire. He was astonished by the well-coordinated efforts and dedication of responding police and fire personnel. That was the very moment he committed to becoming a public servant. When he wasn't immediately called by the Fire Department, Interim Director Malave applied for the position of police officer. But in 1995 his dream became a reality when he received the call to serve as one of "Newark's Bravest." Over the years, his meteoric rise took him from serving as an entry-level Firefighter to Fire Captain. In November 2010, he became the first Hispanic Newark Fire Division Battalion Chief. He also served as the executive officer for both the Fire Director and Fire Chief's Offices. There, he became adept in managing the administrative affairs of the agency, encompassing budget preparation, recruitment, training and discipline, short and long term strategic planning, apparatus and equipment acquisition, and community outreach programming.

Ronald Slaughter

Job Titles:
  • Deputy Director
  • Deputy Public Safety Director
Ronald Slaughter is Deputy Public Safety Director of Community Relations, a newly created civilian position within the Newark Police Division. A clergyman, Rev. Slaughter also continues building upon 10 years of service as Senior Pastor of Saint James AME Church in Newark, NJ. A consummate community leader, Pastor Slaughter proudly serves on several boards, including Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC); New Brunswick Theological Seminary (New Brunswick, NJ); Turner Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA); and Chair of St. Michael's Medical Center Board (Newark, NJ). Pastor Slaughter earned his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and is also a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He is married to Kyla Trinette Brown Slaughter and together they are the parents of three children: Kellyn Skyla, Kylynn Rona, and Ronald Levant "R2."

Sharonda Morris

Job Titles:
  • Deputy Director
Sharonda Morris, a veteran law enforcement for the Newark Department of Public Safety, has been a member of the city's police division for 23 years, rising through its ranks to recently become Deputy Director of Police Operations. Morris takes on her new assignment in a career anchored by hard-earned promotions that have prepared her for this day. She joined the force in 1998 as a West District foot patrol officer, who moved up to detective two years later in 2000. She held that post eight years, a productive stint in the Human Resources Department, where Morris was fiscally responsible and observant. Morris monitored the police divisions' overtime schedule and, during an audit project, she discovered outstanding funds the division had not been paid from the state of New Jersey for outside employment. Her meticulous skillset didn't go unnoticed when she became a sergeant in 2008. Over the next eight years, Morris led several police districts, supervised patrol units, implemented strategizes to track and reduce crime, and managed the police division's finances. In 2016, she was transferred to the Office of Professional Standards as an investigative sergeant. That role, however, didn't last long as her professional value grew. In short order, Morris was promoted to lieutenant, then Executive Officer in 2017, continuing to showcase a leadership pedigree that would be recognized again. Morris, a graduate of University High School in Newark and Rutgers University-Newark, was promoted to Captain in 2020 until Mayor Ras J. Baraka tapped her for the job she now holds - Deputy of Director of Police Operations.