New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) leads and coordinates New Jersey's counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness efforts while building resiliency throughout the State. NJOHSP fulfills this mission by committing to a professional ethos that is the sum of four core values: service, teamwork, excellence, and diversity. The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell is under its purview.
History.
Shortly after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, New Jersey's legislature and Governor passed and signed the [.HTM|Domestic Security Preparedness Act], which created the Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force within the Office of the Attorney General. In 2002, the Governor created an Office of Counterterrorism (OCT) by Executive Order, which remained under the Office of the Attorney General. OCT provided New Jersey with a single agency to lead and coordinate New Jersey's counterterrorism efforts with state, local, and federal authorities and with the private sector.
OCT remained in place until 2006, when it was reorganized—again by Executive Order—into the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP), bolstering New Jersey's resources for counterterrorism, critical infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness, training, and federal grants management. NJOHSP was tasked with coordinating counterterrorism and emergency response efforts across all levels of government, law enforcement, emergency management, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.
Jared Maples was first appointed as Acting Director of NJOHSP by then-Governor Chris Christie in June 2017 before being appointed to serve as the Director of NJOHSP by Governor Phil Murphy in January 2018.
Organizational Structure.
NJOHSP is composed of four Divisions: Division of Intelligence, Division of Policy and Planning, Division of Cybersecurity (also known as the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell or "NJCCIC"), and the Division of Administration.
Executive Staff.
Director: Jared Maples
Chief of Staff: Patrick Rigby, Director of Communications
Division of Intelligence: Laurie Doran, Director
Division of Cybersecurity: Michael Geraghty, Director
Division of Policy and Planning: Eric Tysarczyk, Director
Division of Administration: Randall Richardson, Director
Office of Communications.
NJOHSP's Communications team ensures the Office is able to effectively and strategically message to constituents while remaining the State's most reliable source on counterterrorism, resiliency, and cybersecurity issues. The team continues to enhance the visibility and credibility of the Office, increasing outreach efforts through social media, an updated website, and enhancing event participation through new initiatives. NJOHSP connects with numerous public and private sector organizations, collaborates with state and local partners, and provides the general public – including the faith-based community – with unclassified intelligence using new digital media tools.
Divisions.
Division of Intelligence.
"Collection Management Bureau".
Provides tailored information to New Jersey's law enforcement, public, and private-sector partners in an effort to address a variety of hazards through soft-target outreach programs, engages regularly with the intelligence community to share information that meets state and national-level intelligence priorities, and manages suspicious activity reports (SARs) while working collaboratively with law enforcement agencies statewide to gather, process, and share SARs in an accurate and timely manner.
"Analysis Bureau".
Provides timely, relevant, accurate, and insightful analysis regarding any threat posed by foreign and domestic terrorist organizations, groups, or individuals to the State of New Jersey and the region.
"Operations Bureau".
Detects and deters terrorist activity and other potential threats using intelligence and law enforcement strategies.
Division of Policy and Planning.
"Training and Exercise Bureau".
Develops and administers training and exercises for homeland security partners and stakeholders.
"Preparedness Bureau".
Strengthens the security and resiliency of New Jersey, its critical infrastructure, and its institutions by managing risks through collaborative and integrated efforts of the whole community.
"Interoperable Communications Bureau".
Leads New Jersey's coordination and planning for the deployment of the First Responder Network Authority's (FirstNet) Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN).
Division of Cybersecurity.
In 2016, the responsibility for cybersecurity strategy and oversight for the Executive Branch transitioned from the NJ Office of Information Technology (NJOIT) to NJOHSP. In 2017, NJOHSP's Division of Cybersecurity and the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) were organized into one overarching cybersecurity function to take advantage of the synergies in their respective programs of work, as well as to more effectively allocate and utilize resources. The NJCCIC is the first American state-level information sharing and analysis organization in the United States that exchanges cyber threat intelligence and conducts incident response for governments, businesses, and citizens in New Jersey. Located at NJ's Regional Operations and Intelligence Center (ROIC), and acting in a cyber fusion center capacity the NJCCIC is composed of staff from NJOHSP, the NJ Office of Information Technology, and the NJ State Police.
"Cyber Threat Intelligence and Analysis".
Responsible for fusing technical and nontechnical sources to analyze New Jersey's local cyber threat landscape and reduce the State's virtual vulnerabilities. In addition to cyber tips, alerts, and mitigation techniques, the Bureau produces critical infrastructure sector-specific threat assessments provides threat briefings and information security training sessions.
"Security Engineering and Cyber Operations Bureau".
Responsible for managing all aspects of information security engineering and daily operations of the State's enterprise cybersecurity systems that allow the NJCCIC to detect and defend against cyberattacks targeting State government networks.
"Governance, Risk and Compliance Bureau".
Responsible for assessing and managing the cybersecurity risk posture of the Executive Branch of the State government through the NJCCIC's proactive risk management services including vulnerability scanning, penetration tests, risk assessments, and security audits. The Bureau is responsible for the development and maintenance of the State's Information Security Policies and Standards that establish the required behaviors and controls intended to protect the State's information technology resources, secure personal information, and safeguard the privacy of individuals.
"Partnerships Bureau".
Responsible for the NJCCIC's outreach efforts by providing relevant and timely threat intelligence, alerts, and best practices to New Jersey's citizens, businesses, government and nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions. Additionally, the Bureau coordinates and conduct cybersecurity trainings and briefings and provide all NJCCIC member services.
Division of Administration.
"Financial Bureau".
Ensures that state and federal financial resources are protected and distributed in a fiscally responsible manner, while providing optimal services to government and private-sector partners.
"Grants Management Bureau".
Responsible for the management and administration of federal and state homeland security grant funding. Grant funding enables New Jersey to enhance its capabilities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events.
"Human Resources Bureau".
Responsible for maximizing organizational and individual potential while facilitating a work-life balance accomplished through recruitment of top talent, workforce training and development, retention of high-performing workforce and ensuring compliance with state and federal employment laws. The Bureau houses the facilities management function for the Office.