Security back at Camden building where caseworker was attacked

A woman accused of repeatedly stabbing a child protection worker Monday in a state office building in Camden, from which armed guards had just been withdrawn, had twice before been charged with assault, according to court records.

On Tuesday, after Taisha Edwards, 30, of Camden, was charged with attempted murder, union officials who represent the state workers in their offices at 101 Haddon Ave. complained of a lack of protection there.

The concerns appeared to lead to action, as the Department of Children and Families decided Tuesday to restore armed guards at the building, according to Hetty Rosenstein, state director for the Communications Workers of America. Her union was not part of a meeting at which the decision was made, Rosenstein said, but she was briefed on it.

Last week, armed officers patrolled the building, but those services were discontinued as of Monday, said one person who works in the building. The officers, who work for the Department of Human Services, were back Tuesday.

It was unclear if they or other personnel will patrol the building going forward.

The attack on the caseworker, Leah Coleman, 29, left a "well-liked" employee critically injured with 23 stab wounds - some to the face and neck - from a nine-inch steak knife, according to authorities and police records.

Edwards arrived Monday to meet with Coleman. Authorities did not disclose the reason for the meeting. About 1:10 p.m., while the two were in a hallway outside Coleman's office, Coleman's screams echoed through the building as coworkers tackled Edwards.

Coleman remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday evening at Cooper University Hospital.

A man who came to the door at Coleman's home declined to speak to a reporter. No one answered the door at Edwards' home.

Edwards was held this week on $500,000 bail, charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses.

In the prior incidents, in 2007 and 2010, Edwards was charged with aggravated assault for beating a person with a frying pan and attempting to stab someone. She served a year in jail each time, and violated probation each time, according to the state Public Defender's Office, which represented Edwards.

Rosenstein, whose union represents about 4,000 employees of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, said there are many concerns for the safety of child-case workers, who often are dealing with parents who have had their children taken away. Most of the parents are nonviolent, Rosenstein said, but some have a history of mental illness or substance abuse, which heightens the risks for caseworkers.

"This is probably one of the most dangerous jobs in the state for anybody," Rosenstein said. "Our workers go out into neighborhoods where police go only with backup."

She criticized security procedures at the Haddon Avenue office, saying child-case workers are nearly defenseless. Visitors to the building are required to sign in, but there are no metal detectors.

"There's nobody keeping [child-case workers] safe in the building," she said.

The building houses more than 100 such workers on the third and fourth floors, Rosenstein said.

Public defenders, as well as some law enforcement agencies, including the state police and parole supervisors, also have offices in the building.

Dale Jones, a spokesman for the state's Public Defender's Office, said there is no history of violence against its workers despite the violent offenders with whom they regularly deal.

"Crime happens. It can happen in an office building as well as on the street," Jones said. "I don't see any reason for us to behave differently today than we did yesterday, or the day before."

Since the stabbing, there have been questions about the role of the Department of Human Services in providing security to caseworkers. Department spokeswoman Nicole Brossoie said its officers typically accompany caseworkers on calls, if needed, but do not provide full-time security at the offices.

Rosenstein alleged that the department reassigned officers last week from child protection offices to three psychiatric facilities around the state, the nearest to Camden being in Trenton.

Brossoie confirmed that officers were assigned to the psychiatric facilities, but said that they "are in and out of all of the DCF offices regularly."

Tuesday afternoon, three human services officers stood at the front desk watching people sign in. Some visitors were not questioned or asked for ID and proceeded to the elevators. A fourth officer stood guard outside the elevator on the fourth floor, checking ID's.