NJ Blue NOW - October 2014

NJ LUENOW Volume 5 ~ Issue 7

October 2014

™

New Jersey’s Independent Voice of Law Enforcement www.NJbluenow.com

Feature StorY A Decision Must Be Made for

Ofc. James Pieper Women In Blue Making A Difference October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month No Excuse For Abuse remembrance

Officer Paul Laszczynski

We Are The New Enemy

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contents NJ LUENOW Team ™

PUBLISHER Envisage Productions Editor-In-Chief Daniel Del Valle MANAGING EDITOR Det. John Welsh EXECUTIVE EDITOR Capt. Donna Roman-Hernandez (Ret.)

50

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sean Ryan

34

DESIGN EDITOR Dari Izhaky Copy Editor George Beck writers Jessica Gosses Matthew A. Peluso, Esq. Officer Fasil Khan Officer Eddie Molina Officer Jay Martinez George Beck Daniel Del Valle Capt. Donna Roman Hernandez (Ret.) Nicole C. Richardson Peter J. Midgely Kelley Higgins-Nelson

48 Editor’s point of view

6

Daniel Del Valle

fitness

Do the Uncomfortable Thing 8

the law

Cops Wearing Cameras: 10 Let Everyone Beware

photographers Willis Hulings Vincent J. D’Amico

Leadership

WEBSITE/SUBSCRIPTIONS www.njbluenow.com

family time

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Fairview, NJ 07022 The opinions and information provided in this magazine are the sole opinions of the editor and contributors and not their employers.

NJBlueNow is published 9 times a year. ©Copyright 2011 NJ BLUE NOW, LLC. All rights reserved. While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate as of publication date, NJ BLUE NOW, LLC and its employees, agents, clients and distributors shall not be liable for any damages arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained in this publication or from omissions to this publication.

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Leading from the Front 12 Parents & Kids: Interacting 16 to Grow & Learn

Supervision

Fantasy Football is Here…

18

and How Officers Can Gain from This.

up close

Saving the Homefront 22

prevention

3 Ways to Stop School 24 Gun Violence

42 awareness

No Excuse For Abuse 32

feature story

34 The JJC vs. NJ State Pension Board: A Decision Must Be Made

Women in BluE

38 Kareen E. Campbell

Making A Difference

blue Events

40 NJ Honor Legion 42 A Night to Unite blue humor

44 Yellow Bananas communication

46 Yes to Access

remembrance

48 Officer Paul Laszczynski blue paws

Law Enforcement Officers 50 and Their Canines

cover story

28 We Are the New Enemy

Layout & design by Dari Izhaky email: dzeek@optonline.net God Bless Our Troops!

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editor’s POINt of VIEW

M

ake no mistake about it: The “perception” the mainstream media is portraying of law enforcement is exactly what is depicted on the cover of this issue. As perplexing as it is to comprehend why the media, politicians, and others would do this to law enforcement, we know why it’s happening. Check out the cover story and you’ll see how we respond to this unfortunate reality that may even get worse by the time this year ends.

The liberal media is benefiting tenfold at our expense. They know we must uphold professionalism and our responses are limited.

But we can no longer afford to sit back and let them constantly attack us. We have to speak up and let the country hear our side of the story. We are not the enemy! We understand that we are human and as imperfect as every other person and profession.

Perhaps what hurts the most is that the same people who are attacking us are intelligent enough to know their portrayal of law enforcement as criminals is far from the truth. Yet they continue to offer misleading images or let others do so. I often wonder if these folks forgot how many of our brothers and sisters died in the line of duty to protect and serve. Are they so quick to forget our brothers, Detective Santiago and Cpl. Dickson, who were recently ambushed and killed only because they were officers? We remember them and salute their service and pray they are resting peacefully.

Let’s start paying close attention to these sellouts and money-hungry individuals who are falsely portraying law enforcement as overpaid racist murderers. The snowball effect because of this negative portrayal is evident in the words of our president.

“The mistrust of police is corroding America,” Obama said. Again, the mistrust (where it exists) is largely fed by the inaccurate media portrayals of law enforcement.

Shame on all who are responsible for this! Let’s maintain professionalism and do our jobs to the best of our abilities. When the tables turn, our BLUE family will be vindicated and appreciated. They will have to admit they got it wrong. We protect and serve the public and risk our lives to maintain stability and security. Again, we are not the enemy.

Stay positive and improve in areas where we know we can do better, in our families and how we take care of ourselves. Family and unity are what will keep us strong while the media and politicians continue to bash us. For now, ride the wave and keep your head above water, which will keep you safe and alive!

In this issue we have a wealth of information to share with you. This issue is packed with informative articles. We feature tips to get healthy, strengthen your relationships with your children and spouses, and how to build comradeship and morale among officers.

We tackle issues of domestic violence in the NFL as well as offer three ways to stem the tide of school shootings, and much more!

So dig into this issue and enjoy. On a last note, let’s hope they catch this savage who killed our brother Cpl. Dickson. May he rest in peace.

Till next time!

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong, Stay Blue!

If you’d like to receive this magazine free by mail… please go to our website

Daniel Del Valle Editor Daniel@njbluenow.com

www.njbluenow.com

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Fitness

Do the

uncomfortable Thing

By Jessica Gosses

I

have been there. I was 200 pounds of softness that didn’t allow me to feel like myself. I felt like I needed to hide but at the same time wanted to be seen. I wanted to wear a sleeveless shirt for the longest time. It was my goal. Now, years later, I am the fittest I have ever been and rarely wear a shirt with sleeves. I continue to push my body to new levels of transformation. I wish someone had sat me down back then and told me the truth of what I needed to do about myself and how to proceed.

But I realize it was a journey I needed to go on myself. Now I know the basic principles, which are essential for personal transformation for me on every level. If I can help even a few individuals to apply these principles to their personal situation, my journey is even more worth it.

Do the uncomfortable thing. For me this meant going to the gym, a place I once considered scary and only for fit people.

My thinking made absolutely no sense. I had tried home workouts, and they were effective but didn’t offer what I really wanted. I wanted to be a gym-goer. I talked to my brothers who were knowledgeable about weights and cardio, and then I turned that discussion into action. I wore the baggiest t-shirt imaginable and loosefitting sweat pants. I basically hid in my 8

NJBlue now | october 2014

body with my clothes. But I went. I worked out, doing what I thought was right. Then I went again. That’s the key. I had to keep doing the uncomfortable thing until it was no longer uncomfortable.

Once I was acclimated to the gym environment, I learned to do the “effective thing.” I originally started doing tons of cardio. This made sense to me. Cardio burns calories! And I lost weight, but I soon discovered a love of weight training. I also saw female bodies that were toned and not just getting skinny like mine was. I wanted to be like that. I also had tried every known diet from commercial weight loss programs that were very expensive, to designer diet plans galore. Again, they worked, but didn’t feel doable for the long term. After years I figured out that a balanced approach to eating, focusing on protein, complex carbohydrates in moderation, and healthy fats was the “effective thing.” I ate about six small meals a day. It worked! It was healthy, and this allowed my body to get and look stronger.

This led me to the realization that I had to start doing the “next thing,” which is setting the next goal, and taking the next step forward. I could no longer do what I did when my goal was just to walk into a gym anymore. I was on the thin side now.

I was regularly working out with weights and doing cardio, and eating four to six nutritionally balanced meals a day with a cheat meal every week or so to keep my sanity and to keep from plateauing.

What did I want next? I wanted to help people do what I did. I studied to become a personal trainer and got my group

exercise certification as well as my fitness nutrition specialist certification. I kept learning, began to help others transform themselves, and set new goals for myself.

I was determined to complete a Tough Mudder race. My most recent goal was to enter a figure competition. I also continued to ask questions and seek guidance, so that I will continue to progress.

I am still working toward my own personal fitness goals. I always will be. But the main thing I wish I had done sooner was to commit to action. I had planned things so many times. I had planned what I would eat, when I would work out. I paid others to do this. This made me feel as though I was doing something, but I was fooling myself. Planning needs to lead to action, and rarely did mine. If I had just set foot in that gym earlier, I would have reached my goals earlier. It was not an easy step, and everyone’s “uncomfortable thing” in terms of weight loss and fitness goals is different.

But doing it showed me that it really was not as bad as I thought, and made me work toward my goal. The days and months were passing anyway, but now I was doing something in that time that yielded visible results I could feel. What could be better than that? Why not start today? The sooner you begin to work out and get healthy, the happier you will be. Invest in your health.

It’s the best investment you will make!

Jessica Gosses is an NASM certified personal trainer (CPT, FNS) and also a licensed professional counselor in New Jersey. Email her at: jgosses@live.com To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

the law

COPS WEARING CAMERAS: LET EVERYONE BEWARE

By Matthew A. Peluso, Esq.

“Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it.” ~ W.W. Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw (1902)

I

n the aftermath of the Ferguson, Missouri police shooting, the debate over whether law enforcement officers should be forced to wear video-cameras on duty is again national news. Many citizens believe that such cameras will prevent, or at least reduce, excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, which it may. In cases involving allegations of wrongful arrest, illegal stop-and-frisk and excessive use of force, video evidence could prove helpful, if not dispositive, to victims of unlawful conduct by law enforcement officers. It could also help law enforcement officers by reducing citizen complaints and false claims of misconduct against them.

However, video evidence of investigatory stops, questioning and arrests will also show suspect conduct and statements, including admissions and statements against interest, both before and after an arrest. Thus, such video evidence poses a potential, and often substantial, legal obstacle that many suspects, and their defense counsel, would rather not have to overcome in their subsequent attempts to obtain a favorable plea agreement or a notguilty finding from a jury. As anyone who

has ever watched an episode of “Cops” or other similar shows, videos of arrests often limit subsequent exculpatory strategies that may have otherwise been available to a suspect in the absence of video footage.

Last year, in the debate regarding the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, a federal judge in Manhattan issued a “Remedies Opinion,” in which she recommended that officers start to wear body-cameras in order to protect citizens from unlawful stops and searches. In that case, Floyd, et al. v. The City of New York, U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin found that because of racial profiling in the NYPD’s use of stopand-frisk policies, the use of body-worn cameras by NYPD officers would address a number of problematic issues.

According to Judge Scheindlin, video recordings “will provide a contemporaneous, objective record of stops and frisks, allowing for the review of officer conduct by supervisors and the courts. The recordings may either confirm or refute the belief of some minorities that they have been stopped simply as a result of their race, or based on the clothes they wore, such as baggy pants or a hoodie. Second, the knowledge that an exchange is being recorded will encourage lawful and respectful interactions on the part of both parties. Third… by creating an irrefutable record of what occurred during stops, video recordings may help lay to rest disagreements that would otherwise remain unresolved.”

Traditionally, motion picture film had generally been admissible if it was properly

10

NJBlue now | october 2014

authenticated with: (1) evidence relating to the circumstances surrounding the taking of the film; (2) evidence detailing the manner and circumstances surrounding the development of the film; (3) evidence in regard to the projection of the film; and (4) testimony by a person present at the time the motion pictures were taken that the pictures accurately depict the events as that person saw them when they occurred. Id. at 17 (citing Balian v. General Motors, 121 N.J.Super. 118, 125 (App.Div. 1972), certif. denied 62 N.J. 195 (1973)).

However, with the modern prevalence of digital video-recording rather than film, the proponent of such evidence no longer needs to meet the requirements of film development and projection. Pursuant to New Jersey Rule of Evidence (“N.J.R.E.”) 801(e), a video recording is a “writing,” which is generally admissible as evidence under the hearsay rules if it is properly authenticated. State v. Loftin, 287 N.J.Super.

76, 99-100, certif. denied 144 N.J. 175 (1996). Such video “writings” may be authenticated “by evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter is what its proponent claims.” N.J.R.E. 901.

In deciding whether to admit a video recording made by a law enforcement officer in a criminal prosecution, a trial court must first determine whether the recording evidence “is sufficiently audible, intelligible, not obviously fragmented, and, also of considerable importance, [or] whether it contains any improper and prejudicial matter which ought to be deleted.” State v. Driver, 38 N.J. 255, 288 (1962). Video evidence must “accurately reproduce[ ] phenomena actually perceived by the witness.” State v. Wilson, 135 N.J. 4, 14-17 (1994).

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Very often, video evidence also meets the relevancy requirement of N.J.R.E. 401. “Relevant evidence” means evidence having a tendency in reason to prove or disprove any fact of consequence to the determination of the action. N.J.R.E. 401. Further, the probative value of video evidence is often found to outweigh any allegations of unfair prejudice to a criminal defendant under N.J.R.E. 403. Another potential concern to a criminal defendant is the reality that the jury, not the trial judge, determines the factual credibility and weight of video evidence. Knopp v. Rosen, 425 N.J.Super. 391, 420 (App. Div. 2012) (holding that the jury, not the judge, should make the “purely… factual determination” that bears upon the admissibility and probative value of evidence).

The use of body-cameras by law enforcement officers will raise many public policy and legal disputes. Based upon the potential negative consequences, there will be many suspects who demand that they not be video-taped while being questioned or arrested by law enforcement officers. If, pursuant to a legal or departmental policy, the police officer is required to turn on his video-recorder every time he or she encounters, questions or arrests a suspect, and that suspect objects to being videotaped, can the video later be used against the suspect over his objections in a criminal prosecution? However, if an officer is required to turn off his or her body-camera at the request of a suspect, then suspects, not law enforcement officers, will control when and how they can be video-taped, which could clearly create significant problems for both officers and prosecutors.

Further, how will the use of bodycameras relate to pre-Miranda statements made by a suspect? If a suspect makes a statement before he is Mirandized and the prosecution later seeks to introduce the video evidence of the officer’s questioning, will such video evidence be suppressed even if it clearly confirms that the suspect made an incriminating statement when he or she was informed that the officer was video-taping the encounter?

In addition, there is the potential that a suspect’s awareness of being video-taped will encourage him or her to resist arrest, or to bait a law enforcement officer into an

increased use of force through disrespectful conduct toward the officer. Thus, despite Judge Scheindlin’s suggestion, rather than encouraging citizens and suspects to comply with an officer’s instructions or arrest, body-cameras could lead to more conflicts between citizens and officers.

Also, video-recording of all arrests by law enforcement officers could encourage suspects to intentionally “act-out” and create scenes for both bystanders and for the sake of the video-tape.

There is, of course, the separate issue of citizens and suspects using their own cell-phones and cameras to video-tape law enforcement officers. Some courts throughout the country have ruled that there is a general free speech right to videotape police officers. For example, in Robinson v. Fetterman, 378 F.Supp.2d 534, 541 (E.D. Pa. 2005), a federal court in Philadelphia ruled that there is a free speech right to film police officers in the performance of their public duties. Also, in a case out of Chicago, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeal recognized “a First Amendment right, subject to reasonable time, manner and place restrictions, to photograph police conduct.” Smith v. City of Cumming, 212 F.3d 1332 (11th Cir. 2000).

This public attention is now a reality for law enforcement officers, who are often unaware that they are being recorded by third-parties while subduing or arresting a suspect. Most citizens now carry a cellphone that has video-recording capacity, and they are now increasingly using their phones to video-tape law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.

As confirmed by the nationwide media attention given to the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island, the video-taping of arrests by witnesses on the scene can be effectively used against an officer as evidence of excessive force.

For all of the reasons set forth above, it is important that state, county and local law enforcement agencies work to create clear guidelines, policies and procedures with regard to the use of body-cameras by law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties. Otherwise, officers will be increasingly placed in untenable situations on a daily basis. Further, officers will be wrongfully and repeatedly

subjected to internal affairs investigations, administrative discipline and potential civil litigation arising from their use of bodycameras.

Law enforcement officers know that the majority of their interactions with citizens are non-confrontational or investigative in nature. In these interactions, neither the citizen, nor the officer usually wants to be video-taped for numerous personal privacy and security reasons. Therefore, despite the tragedies in Ferguson and on Staten Island, it is important that any policies which require law enforcement officers to videotape their interactions with citizens must protect the privacy rights of those citizens, and also provide officers with the flexibility to do the job that they have been trained to do for the protection of the public in general.

Matthew A. Peluso, Esq. is an attorney based in Princeton. He has over 20 years of experience in numerous types of complex litigation, including employment, insurance and business law. Mr. Peluso has successfully represented police officers in employment and contract disputes involving wrongful termination, failure to promote, race, gender and age discrimination, hostile work environment and whistle-blower actions. Mr. Peluso is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and George Washington University.

He can be reached at: 609-306-2595. His e-mail address is: mpelusoesq@live.com. His experience can be reviewed on Linkedin.com and on his firm website: http://mpelusoesq. webs.com. The opinions expressed by Mr. Peluso in his article are not intended to provide legal advice. Anyone interested should consult a qualified attorney prior to making any significant employment or legal decision.

If you would like to submit stories, pictures, or suggestions, send us an email at:

info@njbluenow.com N JBlue now | october 2014

11

Leadership

Leading From the Front

By Lt. Joe Pangaro (Ret.)

“Stick up for your men.”

“Someday when I’m the boss I’m not going to…”

Finish that sentence with whatever you believe. I said those words as I was moving through my career. As a patrolman working the streets on holidays, weekends, my kids’ birthdays, in the snow or the blistering summer heat, I had the opportunity to work for several different types of leaders.

Sergeants, lieutenants, captains and chiefs who saw my job and the conditions I, and the other street cops had to deal with, in very different ways.

Some of my former leaders saw subordinates as simply pieces of equipment to be used as needed. I suppose in a bigger picture type of concept that is true. The workers in any organization are there to do what needs to be done, as it is needed.

The difference is the way a leader treats workers and the concern he or she has for the workers’ needs.

This is not a “touchy feely” approach to managing people as some might imagine, rather it is a modern, enlightened way of getting the most from subordinates in a way that takes into consideration the mental and physical realities of their duties and their value as human beings.

To put some meat on the bones so to speak, let’s look at a very common practice of directing traffic on a hot and sticky summer afternoon on a major highway. An officer’s bulletproof vest is soaked and the drivers don’t pay attention. There were many times that I and other officers were put out at those posts for hours at a time without any relief or water or bathroom breaks. We were told it was part of the job. But it was miserable and made us wary of those jobs and resentful of the boss for not shuttling other cops in and out to break it up and 12

NJBlue now | october 2014

offer relief. It was at times like that I would make a note to myself: “When I’m the boss I won’t do this to my people.” That’s the crux of it.

As time went on, I worked for some great supervisors that went out of their way to unite the squad. They did so by dividing the workload evenly, especially the rotten jobs. Even some of the senior cops showed their leadership by jumping in and on many occasions taking the first shift at the highway, or the roadblock or the hundreds of other necessary but less than desirable jobs we were all required to do.

I once saw a supervisor do something goofy, and innovative, yet at the same time was considered outrageous. He brought into work a barbecue grill and cooked burgers and hotdogs on the 3-11 shift. He let the squad eat together as a group. He was mocked and scorned by higher-ranking officers who begrudgingly allowed it. But as a street cop it was really great. It was fun and made the day fly by. We made sure that any calls that came in were handled immediately and we took turns to go on those calls so the same person wasn’t always stuck having to leave. It built camaraderie. I said I would remember this if I ever became a boss.

I have also seen supervisors that demeaned their subordinates in front of the public or other cops. They did this by yelling over a minor matter, or standing in the street and calling over the cop with the flick of a finger as if the cop was a child and should run over to the boss like they were less of a person . I said I would remember this and never do it if one day, I would become a boss.

I am sure these examples can be easily relatable by any one of you reading this column. We have all worked for incompetents,

or bullies that were promoted because of their connections, or their willingness to act as a hatchet man. These types of leaders don’t garner respect. Instead they are tolerated and resented. The work always suffers under this type of a leader with the majority of the workers doing only the minimum to stay “under the radar.” This causes a terrible waste of talent, a loss to the community, and a horrible working environment.

It was with these lessons in the forefront of my mind that when I was promoted and became a boss, I made sure I remembered what it was like to be one of the people who actually did the lion’s share of the workload, and remembered what it was like to work for a bad supervisor.

I found that to be a good supervisor, not just the person in charge, required a lot of work on my part. I had to be patient when I didn’t want to be. I had to be understanding when it didn’t make sense to do so. I had to sacrifice my time to make sure I was always available physically and mentally to my cops.

That meant taking calls 24/7 with the proper tone, remembering that the person calling to bother me on my day off or on vacation most likely didn’t want to make that call in the first place. Therefore, it was necessary that I was always approachable.

My office was always available, even if I was eating lunch or working on a project.

If they needed me, I made sure I was there, and took their concern seriously.

This was the attitude I carried through the rest of my career and through additional ranks, and the same attitude I have taken into the private sector as well. Managing people consists of a lot more effort for the (Continued on page 14) To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

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John Feeley, Esq., is a practicing attorney who devotes the majority of his practice to the areas of disability pensions for public employees and worker’s compensation claims. Prior to starting his legal career in 1997, Mr. Feeley served as a police officer and firefighter in the City of Orange from 1983 to 2008, where he was also a Union President of the FMBA Local 10 and FMBA Local 210 for 17 years. He has a unique understanding of the legal options available to public employees and has successfully argued many cases, including Russo v. the Board of Trustees for Police and Firemen’s Retirement System, 206 NJ 14:17A.3d 801 (2011).

Tony LaRocca, Esq., is a practicing attorney with 27 years of legal experience.

His primary expertise lies in workplace injuries, with a strong emphasis on worker’s compensation benefits and pension benefits for police officers, correction officers, firefighters and public employees. He currently holds a position as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Kean University. Prior to his legal career, Mr. LaRocca served as a corrections officer for 9 years in the Union County Department of Public Safety where he received the Award of Conduct Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.

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13

Leadership

(Continued from page 12) good boss than for one who simply barks orders and concerns themselves with the perks of being in charge. This approach to leadership was not always easy, but in the long run, it paid great dividends. As a lieutenant, I was tasked with handling Internal Affairs cases. It was a job that most cops do not want, but investigating other cops is a necessary function to ensure the integrity of the force is maintained. It is a thankless job when you have to report that an officer was inadvertently wrong or purposefully inappropriate in their actions and punishment results from that report.

What I found amazing and satisfying was that by being open and honest with my officers and treating them fairly as a rule, they were not afraid to be honest with me. There was an understanding that if you made a mistake I would deal with it as that, a mistake. If you did something wrong you had to take responsibility and your lumps for your actions, but the punishment would be reasonable. It was common for my cops to come in and tell me exactly what happened, warts and

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NJBlue now | october 2014

all; because they knew they would not be slammed inappropriately. I maintained that punishment should be used to teach and correct, not hurt unnecessarily. For that reason the officers were forthcoming.

I attribute this to remembering what it was like to be called on the carpet, and respecting the dignity of the people I was tasked with leading. This was easy with cops I liked, but harder with people I didn’t like so much, but nonetheless, they equally deserved and received the exact same treatment. Rules should never be used as a hammer to “get” people. Unfortunately in many organizations that is exactly how they are used.

I hope some of this resonates with the leaders out there. For the good ones it might be confirmation, for the bad ones (you know who you are) I hope it’s a wakeup call to understand that leading is a great responsibility that requires you to be more than yourself, to see outside your scope, to use your authority to help, teach, and allow your people to grow. Professional leaders are not simply those people in charge. They

are people who see their role as vital for the good of the organization and especially for their subordinates. Professional leaders work on their craft, they know their subordinates are looking for the leader to bring them to better place, and they accept the challenges of leadership, not just the power of being in charge.

Lt. Joseph Pangaro retired after serving 27 years in law enforcement in a police department in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Pangaro is a graduate of the Certified Public Managers Program (CPM) through Fairleigh-Dickenson University and served his department as the Lead Training Officer. He also writes a weekly newspaper column dedicated to helping his readers understand the rigors and joys of a career in law enforcement. Joseph Pangaro is the CEO and President of Pangaro Management and Training and Management and Pangaro Global Training, an online training company.

Email Lt. Pangaro @JPangaro194@yahoo.com or Twitter: @Pangarotraining

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family time

Parents & Kids: Interacting to Grow & Learn I

t’s that time of year again. The kids are back in school and family routines are returning. You’re watching new growth take place in your children’s life: physical growth, intellectual growth, social growth and much more. Given most of our schedules as law enforcement officers, chances are you might be missing a little bit of that parent and child interaction.

Between sports, school and homework, quality family time can become limited.

So how can you maximize time with your children and experience new learning and growth in your own life? It’s simple. Get involved in their education and activities in a positive way.

Traditional Educational Support

One way to get involved is through traditional routes, such as Parent Teacher Associations (PTA). Most schools have an active parent group that supports student learning through fundraising and special events. You can participate with the local PTA and all of the events they hold for the students. Most PTA’s often sponsor book fairs, and host family fun nights. This group is made up of dedicated parents that are making a positive difference in the lives of students, parents, and educators. Also, many teachers welcome a good classroom volunteer, especially a positive role model from the law enforcement community. I know work schedules can be difficult, but if you can make it happen, volunteering in the classroom can be an extremely rewarding experience. It will help develop a positive relationship with your child’s teacher and provide great insight into curriculum and learning goals. Understanding what your children are learning and how they learn best will open up new areas of growth for everybody.

Learn Something New Together

Another way to gain quality time with your kids while supporting their personal

By Officer Fasil Khan

growth and development is by enrolling in fun classes together. If they want to try karate, you should try it too. Or perhaps, take an art class together, or enroll in a computer course at your local library. The opportunities are endless. You can attend a lecture and let it spark some interesting parent and child discussions. Your local YMCA may have fitness classes or selfdefense classes you can both take. There’s even software that teaches a foreign language? Why not try this together? You’ll be amazed how fast children learn. They will learn faster than you.

Demonstrating that you are a lifelong learner and not afraid to try something out of your comfort zone, will help your children gain confidence in their own abilities. You want them to know you’re never too old to learn something new. You want to demonstrate curiosity, creativity, imagination and leadership skills. You also want them to observe your dedication and discipline, as you engage in the act of learning. It may be an old adage, but actions do speak louder than words!

Talk About Learning with Them

I’m sure that every parent has experienced the meaningless grunts children sometimes give in response to the same old question about what they did at school today.

Therefore, it’s time to shake things up.

Proactive adults are constantly learning and growing as they go through their professional day. You could start a conversation with your children, telling them what you learned today. Then find a creative way to get them discussing what they learned at school today. A good way to do this, is to educate yourself about their curriculum, so you can be specific in your questioning. You’ll know what days to ask about that algebra exam or how things went in literature class or about the progress of the project they’ve been working on in art class. Utilize the resources modern schools

offer such as websites, online grade books and event calendars to keep up to date on what’s happening at school, so you can be focused in your questioning. Draw parallels between your workday and their school day, so the conversation is applicable and interesting to them. School isn’t just the work of the child! All of us are learning and growing every moment.

Also, be open (without over-sharing) about times when you’ve had to overcome frustration and obstacles in your work and personal life. Your children can learn from your experiences and this can build stronger bonds. Remember they often deal with frustration in their learning and school. They will benefit from knowing you experienced this too. Hearing how you dealt with such obstacles can encourage their personal and educational growth. Don’t waste another day! Start the learning dialogue!

Make this year an extra special time of learning and growth! Make sure you establish routines with your children and remember supporting them in their education and learning together is all part of bonding. If any of the suggestions I have made are not currently realistic because of your work schedule, consider planning special “us” moments. It could be as simple as going to a ball game, taking a bicycle ride together, or playing at the local park.

It’s the little things that make kids smile. The little things in life are what they remember most!

Dig In! Lead By Example! It can be tough…

I know! But the kids are watching and learning from us!

From your friends at Team Khan Coaching!

Fasil Khan Law Enforcement Officer Results-Driven Performance Coach Direct: 888-832-7004 www.KhanCoaching.com

Supervision

Fantasy Football is Here… and How Officers Can Gain From This.

By Officer Eddie Molina

“And for my first draft pick I select Peyton Manning.” So says

just about every football fan across America.

There is no denying it. Fantasy football is as much a part of our culture as dressing up in costume is for Halloween. The Internet age has added a unique allure to football that could not have been imagined 25 years ago. It is not only a hobby for many people; it is also a subculture for circles of friends and co-workers everywhere. These fantasy footballers can have endless conversations about the productivity of their receivers or their dreadful player injury problems.

“The way companies and organizations operate is now slowly changing to suit the workers needs before the organizations.”

Initial impressions may believe that employees, staff or officers that play fantasy football sacrifice work performance while doing so. This is possibly due to the traditional labor philosophy, which states that anything that distracts employees from performing their regular duties will only have a negative affect on performance.

For example, if a worker is responsible for producing a certain amount of output, a distraction would only get in the way.

However, a new philosophy counters that workers, who are happier and personally satisfied in their jobs, may produce more, even in less time. The belief is a happy worker leads to a healthy work environment that increases productivity, higher morale and better communication on all levels. The way companies and organizations operate is now slowly changing to suit the workers morale needs.

Companies like Google allow their employees to make their own hours, exercise while working, take a nap or even have a beer at their desk. Google, and many other similar organizations, are noticing 18

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this innovative concept works. Google is currently one of the most sought after companies to work for. Their employees value their job so much that production and innovation is unmatched by similar companies.

If officers have an opportunity to engage in a non-work related group activity, it should be encouraged. We are already inundated with regulations, policies and rules that we constantly have to consider throughout our shift. (Not to mention the legal ramifications of making a poor decision in a split second.) This stressful dynamic plays a role in our ability to effectively and productively work well with others.

This is valuable especially in the law enforcement field. And as an added bonus, playing fantasy football encourages people to engage in online discussion with coworkers on personal time. Anytime you have officers communicate amongst each other outside of work, the organization gains as a whole.

Effective and efficient communication during times of emergencies is critical.

During times of emergency, which occur regularly in our business, having officers around you that you trust and ‘can read their minds’ is crucial. You may not always be able to verbally communicate your thoughts… so body language, even eye

movement, can help you get a message across. These are part of the communication skills that improve with cooperative group interaction.

But as a supervisor, be cautious to accept an invitation to get involved in a fantasy league with subordinates. You may think you can improve the way you communicate with your crew and help build a better relationship (which you probably will), but you may inadvertently create a perception of favoritism from those outside of the group. Once that happens, then you have a different problem on your hands. But that’s a completely different discussion.

So if you are a supervisor, and you run into a situation where officers are sitting around talking about their favorite fantasy football player, carefully consider all the factors.

As long as safety is not jeopardized, let them improve their communication skills, morale and camaraderie. Encourage group activity because when an emergency arises (and it will) effective communication can make a difference.

Writer Eddie Molina is an Officer with the NJ Department of Corrections and an Officer with the NJ Army National Guard.

He specializes in Organizational Leadership and blogs about it at www.Leadlikeahero.com.

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up close

Saving

the

Homefront

By P.O. Jay Martinez, Deputy SWAT Commander, Certified Tactical and Academy Instructor

The reality of the badge and the broken home So here you are saving the Milky Way Galaxy from total annihilation, jumping in front of a speeding locomotive to save Mr. Met, and running into a burning building to rescue Sponge Bob and Shakira. Posted on your locker door and stuffed in the top drawer of your desk are letters of commendations, valor ribbons, and other accolades you have earned from organizations like the Boy and Girl Scouts of America. But what do you care? Your focus is on your next drug seizure or overtime traffic job.

Officer Gold is a former U.S. Navy veteran, Academy class guide and an expert marksman with both pistol and service rifle. His peers compare him as a sort of Mahatma Gandhi and Robocop with a Tom Brady cleft chin. But nightly, before Officer Gold pulls into his suburban castle without the moat, he stops to scoop up a pint of Jack. It helps him cope with his domestic obligations. It helps with tasks such as helping little Bobby complete his math homework, taking out the recyclables and drying little Susie’s hair before she goes night-night.

The American crime fighter will chase a 22

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150-pound wolverine through the gates of hell with gasoline draws on for shoplifting a pack of skittles before he boils two hot dogs for his better half. On the job we are kicking major ass and taking names but are we winning on the domestic front?

The homefront battle campaign is more arduous, more complex. To win on the homefront we have to stop being cops and control freaks and become Mr. Mom, a soccer coach, a landscaper, and just a plain old friend. Furthermore, we have to strip off our ballistic vests and expose that most important human organ: our heart.

At home stop being Sgt. Rock, just be Dad In the most demanding career nationwide to downgrade our psyche is easier said than done. Our characters, communication methods, listening devices and bodies channel tremendous intent throughout our workweek, but instantly become persona non grata as soon as we enter camp homefront. But some officers cannot differentiate an axe murderer from their children and sadly treat them both with the same swagger. Drinking alcohol only exacerbates and compounds the crisis, splitting the family down the middle like the San Andreas Fault. Mom doesn’t speak

with dad, little Susie is now 18 and her Facebook and Twitter accounts keep her company while little Bobby now puffs on the magic dragon to prove to his dad that he really isn’t an active father, mentor and ambassador of love.

Reach out for help before it’s too late

My oh my who needs to call 911 now? Call the SWAT team out? Nah, just broadcast a BOLO for that much needed father and husband that you once were. Furthermore, remember as a cop you are one of the best communicators on the planet, so work out your issues and start communicating with your loved ones before you lose them. Or worse yet, before someone has to complete a burglary report, because a wiser person stole them from you.

As professionals we can deal with the stabbings, shootings and cockroach infested apartments as well as all of the other catastrophic ordeals we experience without even wincing. But going home to an empty home really drives a stake in us.

Imagine sitting on your couch, wearing your Chicago Blackhawks boxers, sipping on a Vodka-OJ, watching Naked and Afraid alone. Who’s naked and afraid now? Sitting To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

in the dark being drowned out by your unflattering four walls, as they choke you out like André the Giant. The stress, anxiety and the intense pressure we experience during our careers are as powerful as a Category 5 hurricane.

Metaphorically speaking this type of hurricane, if not avoided by moving our hearts inland, will destroy our homes for an eternity. The most basic of tenets simply explain this very simple concept: place your family first and everything else is gravy or icing on the cake whichever you prefer. I prefer Tabasco. The Bible states, pride comes before a fall. Suggestible to say the least, it’s time to pump the brakes, take inventory, before that consequential darkness looms on your brow after six Vodka-OJ’s. Then the rest is slow walking and sad singing, because another cop just ate his gun.

Consequences of American broken homes 4 Effect of broken homes are traumatic 4 Children question their self-worth 4 Children take responsibility for divorces 4 Children of broken homes drop out of school and experience pre-marital pregnancies 4 Children from broken homes are five times more likely to suffer mental troubles Credit: answers.com, Heritage Foundation & Steve Doughty

Plugging holes in the dam 4 Stop digging your hole deeper 4 Seek spiritual intervention 4 Keep positive company 4 Your family needs you Written by Jay Martinez, Husband-Dad, Cop and former Recon Marine-ooorah! Look out for Warning Order LLC; we will be conducting dual training courses in Essex County, NJ, “Tactical Operational Planning & Body language, pre-indicators of violence. www.warningorder.net

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YOUR TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE FOR SLEEP APNEA AND SNORING

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Are you sleeping alone again tonight?

snoring can have many causes, the most common being obstructive sleep apnea (osa). it is estimated that 70% of the people who snore loudly suffer from this condition.

Obstructive sleep ApneA (OSA) is recognized as repeated episodes of cessation in breathing during sleep. This happens because our muscles relax during sleep and then gravity pulls the airway closed.

Momentary suffocation develops producing excessive stress on the body. Some common signs of sleep apnea are excessive daytime sleepiness, loud or disruptive snoring, gasping or choking during sleep, depression and irritability.

OSA can cause memory loss, headaches, irritability, depression, sexual dysfunction, and impaired concentration.

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23

PREVENTION

3 Ways to

stop School Gun Violence

By George Beck

T

he first recorded school shooting in America is older than the country itself. On July 26, 1764, four Lenape warriors entered a schoolhouse near present-day Greencastle, Pennsylvania where they shot and scalped schoolmaster Enroch Brown as he pleaded to spare the children. The warriors then tomahawked and scalped eight students, killing them.

This incident was the second part of a terrible rampage. One day prior, the same warriors beat a pregnant settler to death, scalped her, and cut the baby from her belly.

Jump ahead in time to Sep. 28, 1850. In Westchester, Pennsylvania, a 19-year-old man hiding behind a tree shot a teacher unlocking the door to her school. He used a wad of newspaper to muffle the gun’s report.

Three years later, on Nov. 2, 1853, a student in Louisville, Kentucky, brought a pistol to school and used it to kill the schoolmaster.

Why? The schoolmaster had punished the student’s brother the day before. Outraged, the student took justice into his own hands.

Sadly, this list goes on and on. The details change, but the basic story does not. Between 1764 and 1992, an estimated 171 shootings occurred at schools across America. If that sounds like a lot, consider a recent report on the website Stoptheshootings.org: 387 school shootings occurred between 1992 and 2013. And 2014 looks poised to break records, with already 28 so far.

Clearly, the number of incidents per year has gone parabolic. But, if school shootings have existed since before our nation began, why are they skyrocketing now?

Gun advocates claim that the spike in school shootings has nothing to do with 24

NJBlue now | october 2014

guns at all. They point to a society of eroding values, violent music, and blooddrenched video games, indicting an overall culture of violence. This type of thinking can be summarized by the old adage: “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.”

Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but no one contests there are plenty of guns around. In 2013, the U.S. population boasted approximately 317 million people while the number of privately owned firearms hovered between 270 million and 310 million. In other words, there are enough guns in the U.S. to arm nearly every man, woman, and child. How did we get to this point?

For a moment, let’s set aside any discussion of Second Amendment rights and stick with the indisputable fact that guns are big business. The United States is home to over 100 gun manufacturers. According to the ATF, in 2010 there were 5,459,240 new firearms manufactured in the U.S., 95% of which made their way into the U.S. market.

In the same year, American manufacturers produced 3,252,404 additional firearms for export. With so many guns lying around, is it any wonder that some fall into the wrong hands?

Take the incident that occurred on October 21, 2013 in Sparks, Nevada. A 12-year-old boy plucked his father’s 9mm pistol from its case above the refrigerator and took it to school, where he opened fire on the basketball courts, injuring one student and killing a teacher who tried to intervene.

The boy then turned the pistol on himself, committing suicide. Obviously, this is tragic, but it also proves a point. Researchers at the

Harvard Injury Control Research Center recently sifted through vast amounts of data and found evidence indicating that, where there are more guns, more homicides occur. One study examined the specific relationship between firearm availability and homicides across all 50 states between 1988 and 1997. It found that the number of homicides spiked in states where guns proliferate. A second Harvard study examined the period between 2001 and 2003 and confirmed the same relationship: More guns are practically synonymous with more homicides.

And yet, with all these guns lying around, gun safety training is not part of the gun ownership process. How odd when all 50 states require a permit process and test before licensing new motor vehicle drivers.

Why go through such a process? Because all 50 states recognize that training and awareness of safety issues reduces the chance of harming yourself or others when driving a car. Yet a gun can be acquired without any safety training. So what’s the argument? Guns are a right while driving is a privilege? New drivers need safety awareness, while new gun owners need none? Is this thinking correct? Can’t a gun be as dangerous as a car?

1

So there’s our first way to curb the skyrocketing number of school shootings: require all persons applying for gun ownership to complete mandatory gun safety training. This type of legislation makes sense to me. Police officers undergo gun safety training before they graduate the police academy. Should we make our law enforcement personnel keenly aware of gun safety practices, but allow citizens to bear To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

arms without any formal safety training? I think not.

The safety training I’m proposing would have to be completed at an approved facility taught by certified firearms safety experts. We should teach new gun owners common practices such as the proper ways to lock and store a gun, how to safely load and unload a weapon, store bullets separately, and properly transport guns in vehicles. Ideally, this training would make applicants aware of the dangers of unsecured weapons falling into the wrong hands. Because, frankly, there is no excuse when an unsecured weapon ends up in a child’s hand. None whatsoever.

I believe that a mandated course in gun safety is precisely the kind of compromise that gun advocates are willing to make for the benefit of gun ownership. Lawful and responsible gun ownership is indeed a right on which America’s Constitution was founded. But if saving the life of one child can be accomplished through mandatory gun safety training, it’s an extra step to gun ownership worth taking.

2

Here’s a second way to stem the tide of school violence: investigate possible links between school shootings and any prescription drugs the shooters might be taking. I believe we need to take a serious look at the ubiquitous prescription of antidepressants that carry known potentially dangerous side effects. Many of these drugs were used by the perpetrators of school gun violence on campuses such as Thurston High School, Columbine, Bishop Neuman Junior-Senior High School, Heritage High School, Granite Hills High School, and Notus Junior-Senior High School.

In an article published in Natural News, January 2013, Dr. Peter Breggin confirmed that Columbine shooter Eric Harris had been taking Luvox, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), for the year prior to the shooting. A Harvard-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Breggin also noted that, on the day of the shooting, Harris had a “therapeutic blood level” of the drug in his system. In other words, Harris had the effective amount of drug in his bloodstream to obtain the desired antidepressant result.

According to Dr. Breggin, “Psychiatric

drugs, including antidepressants, stimulants and tranquilizing sedatives, can cause violence.”

The website SSRIstories.org collects over 5,000 media stories in which prescription drugs were mentioned with possible links to violence. Another January 2013 article, “60 School Shootings Linked to Psychiatric Drugs over Past 20 Years,” available at beforeitsnews.com, lists a number of school shootings and the prescriptions each shooter was taking at the time of the incidents. Compare such findings to a statement made by Dr. David Healy, cofounder of Rxisk.org and world-renowned psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist.

Dr. Healy wrote recently on his website, “About 90 percent of school shooters in North America and Europe were being treated with a prescription drug.” He goes on to note that the drug many shooters take is “usually an antidepressant or mood stabilizer.” But the public seldom hears about the connection between prescription drugs and school shootings because, as Dr. Healy says, “Regulators look for any other possible reason why [school shootings] could have happened. They will not blame the drug. Nor will the [pharmaceutical] company, nor will any of the academics that are linked to the company… but we have compelling evidence that these drugs can cause the problem.”

introduced into the U.S. market in 1988.

According to a recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the usage of antidepressants among people ages 12 and older increased by nearly 400 percent between 1988-1994 and 2005–2008. The study determined that, between the years 2005 and 2008, antidepressants were the third most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S. Now consider this: Between 1988 and 2013, at least 255 people were killed in school shootings, and most of them were children.

But between 1963 and 1988, only 86 people died as a result of these incidents. That’s a nearly 197% increase.

These numbers seem clear enough to me.

Therefore, I propose again: an investigation into school shootings and any prescription medications the shooters might have been taking is necessary to potentially disrupt the skyrocketing number of school shootings.

3

Here’s a third way we can stop the insanity: Parents must not allow their children to play violent first-person shooter video games. Violent video games reward players for engaging in violent behavior. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Columbine shooters Harris and Klebold were obsessed with the game Doom. Or that Seung-Hi Cho, who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University in 2007, was a big fan of Counterstrike. In 2011, Anders Breivik went on a killing spree, murdering 77 people in Norway. Investigators later found his manifesto, which detailed how World of Warcraft helped him relax while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare provided training simulations and enhanced his skills at target selection. This list, too, goes on and on.

In a Huffington Post article in December of 2013, Ohio State University professor Brad J. Bushman warned parents not to buy Grand Theft Auto V for their children.

He explained how the video game rewards players for stealing cars, dealing drugs, and killing pedestrians and police officers.

“Characters can regain health by paying to have sex with a prostitute, and kill the prostitute afterwards to get their money.”

A quick bit of history. SSRIs were first

Is it any wonder some Americans believe in a moral declension narrative?

N JBlue now | october 2014

25

PREVENTION And Bushman is not alone in his thinking.

A November 2009 article published on psychologytoday.com details how violent video games affect the moral function of children. University of Notre Dame psychology professor Dr. Darcia Narvaez discusses how violent video games teach the player to associate violence with pleasure. Players receive rewards for hunting down and killing other characters, for instance. Dr. Narvaez says that, under normal conditions, our human emotional wiring abhors such violence and rewards helping others. But violent video games build opposite instincts that children take with them into adulthood.

Violent video games also damage moral functions by turning repeated violent behaviors into automatic responses.

According to Dr. Narvaez, violent video games are especially harmful to children and adolescents because their growing brains are susceptible to addiction.

Violence can harm the final stages of brain development, which in turn can

cause less empathy toward others, as well as diminished decision-making ability.

Bottom line: while I can’t support banning first-person shooter video games outright, as a parent I feel justified in keeping my child away from such distractions. And I urge other parents to do the same.

A society that blames school shootings on guns without considering other contributing factors is a society that’s lost sight of the forest for the trees. I remain hopeful that we will solve the rising epidemic of school shootings through future research, education, and compromise. In the meantime, what could we possibly lose by giving these simple recommendations a try?

Criminal Justice from Boston University, a Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a Bachelor degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and an Associate degree from Bergen Community College. He is the author of The Killer Among Us (Noir Nation Books), a suspense thriller named Trounce, and Historical Images of America: Palisades Park. His nonfiction and short stories have been featured in magazines and anthologies both nationally and internationally. For more information visit Georgebeck.com

George Beck is a police detective and an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He’s a Ph.D. candidate in the History & Culture program at Drew University. He earned a Master of

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27

ry o t s r e v o c

We Are The New Enemy

By Daniel Del Valle and George Beck

28

NJBlue now | october 2014

To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

I

n our modern society, the media bombards the public with information and misinformation.

Quite often, it’s the misinformation offered by the uninformed that dominates the discussions. Misinformation can rally people against law enforcement and create a society filled with resentment. As we have seen with the NYPD baby killing hoax article, which quickly went viral and set many people off on aggressive hate rants against law enforcement nationwide, we learned that nowadays civilians tend to believe reports at face value without vetting them. This is a dangerous anomaly, and the media knows very well how powerful it is.

In the old days, long before the 24-hour news channels, the media reported whatever known information they gathered and viewers or readers were naturally persuaded a bit, but were often left to make their own judgments. It was perhaps a “fair and balanced” approach where people could get their news from “the most trusted” sources. But those days are long gone. Panels of supposed experts and other talking heads are assembled to speak of incidents they have no direct knowledge of or involvement in, yet they always seem to have all the answers. How did we get to this point? Why does the media insist on portraying all law enforcement as criminals wearing a uniform?

Profit. Breaking news reports about alleged police misconduct are hot right now. This drives up the ratings, which is exactly what the media outlets are looking for due to the ever-increasing need for syndication.

This is how the advertising dollars roll in.

Turn on your television, watch any of the 24-hour news networks, and an advertising pattern will quickly appear. Have a look at the massive amount of pharmaceutical companies marketing their drugs directly to you, followed by lawyers who sue them for serious and fatal side effects the drugs may have caused. If you watch enough of the 24-hour news networks, you may become hypnotized and begin suggesting prescription drugs to your physician. But save the name of the attorney who has won

big settlements from bad drugs. You may need it. Do you think if this kind of direct consumer advertising were not lucrative, the pharmaceutical companies and lawyers would waste their money? We think not.

But the media pundits are not the only ones involved.

In the unfortunate event of an officerinvolved shooting or other uses of force, politicians and so-called activists like Al Sharpton immediately appear in the media and offer opinions and perspectives often without having seen the evidence. Do they have a crystal ball that makes them privy to information others are not? We also wonder if they were provided with evidence that directly contradicts their objective, would it even matter? After all, it’s often their personal ambitions and objectives that guide their actions.

The problem becomes further distorted when these folk qualify themselves as experts, having neither the experience nor the credentials to do so. Why would we ask Al Sharpton to consult on police policy in the NYPD Garner case? The International Associations of Police Chiefs are the ones who assist departments with writing national policy, yet we ask Sharpton to discuss police policy? It doesn’t make sense.

Moreover, why do we ask politicians to give their opinions about what an officer was thinking in a police shooting, having never been an officer nor never involved in such a traumatic event?

When we qualify undeserving people as experts, it causes misinformation and in some cases, outright lies to fly across the country. Within seconds, an officer can be

tried in the court of public opinion. His fate will be decided before his heart rate slows down. The officer has not even had a moment to catch his breath and yet he’s already personally destroyed on a national level. Why? Are we now the enemy? Have we reached a point where those with criminal records as long as several football fields are deemed more credible than an officer with a proven record of integrity and service?

Have we not learned the dangers of rushing to judgment? Take for example, the “Beer Summit” that was hosted by President Obama at the White House in 2009. Would this event have taken place if Obama had not immediately taken to the airwaves declaring on national television, the police had “acted stupidly” when Cambridge Massachusetts Sgt. James Crowley arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. for disorderly conduct? After that comment by the president, Crowley countered Obama was “way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts.”

Obama admitted he got it wrong. He spoke of a phone conversation he had with Sgt. Crowley where he described Sgt. Cowley as an outstanding police officer and a good man. Obama admitted that in his choice of words, “I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently.” Insert foot in mouth. And the list of examples like this goes on and on.

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cover story Why is this happening?

First, and foremost, many people sadly believe everything the media tells them.

They forget all the times the media got it wrong. They forget all the times they read the small print of notes on corrections to previous articles. They forget when the pundits speak about prior inaccurate reports. They forget the media exists in a highly competitive world of ratings, syndication pursuits, and the selling of advertising space.

As law enforcement officers we know how dangerous misinformation is. Think about the last time you went on a serious call like a stabbing or robbery. Remember how you walked the scene and spoke with the victims and perhaps the suspect and considered what the evidence told you. You were there in the flesh. You can even recall the smells and the look on the faces of those involved. Now think about the following day when you read about the incident in the newspaper or watched the report on the television, and shook your head wondering if you were at the same incident.

Sometimes the media’s account and what you witnessed first-hand are completely different. You quickly learned what you saw and what actually had happened were no longer reality. What the media offers the public became the new reality. And you were shocked how fast the truth could spin into half-truths and outright lies.

As law enforcement, we have noticed that daily the media is slamming our profession.

Politicians also taunt us over our salaries or pensions, when they are educated and know the value of law enforcement and how society would suffer tremendously without us. We see how they vilify our salaries and swing the figurative battleaxes for political ambitions and objectives. Some politicians pander to so-called activists for perceived benefits of attracting voters. The truth and doing what is right is not what is considered. Votes and maintaining political power are the main objectives. How else can we explain political pardons for a convicted criminal whose family is a huge contributor to the political party? It just doesn’t seem right, yet it happens.

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A Cautionary Word for Law Enforcement Officers

As the media and politicians continue to slam and taunt us, we have to be mindful that unstable civilians are getting hyped-up with obsessive thoughts of antiauthority, and anti-law enforcement. They are incited by the negative message and they lust for their moment to lash out. Lately, we’ve seen numerous social media postings from people writing how happy they are when a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty and how they express how glad they’d be if more were to die. Take for example, Jersey City Detective Melvin Santiago and Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Bryon K. Dickson, who were recently ambushed and killed simply because they were law enforcement. What did either officer do to provoke this? We must be careful. There may be additional action by those unstable people who are incited by the hype.

We must also be cognizant of the mentality and misguided beliefs of some civilians.

Recently we saw civilians wearing T-shirts claiming, “I rather get stopped by ISIS terrorist than Ferguson PD.” On top of the shirt is a hands-up icon. Really? Forget the poor grammar. We are at a loss of words with this kind of thinking. We pray ISIS never stops any of these folks, but if they do, at least they can rest assured knowing law enforcement will be there to defend and protect them.

What can we do?

professionalism. We understand that we are human and as imperfect as every other person and profession. We acknowledge we have a few bad apples who fortunately are overwhelmingly in the minority. But there are also a few bad teachers, coaches, lawyers, doctors, and others, and we are intelligent enough to believe not everyone in their profession are bad.

We understand we have a difficult job and that our efforts are important and necessary.

A society without us is a society nobody would want to live in. We are the frontline defenders. We are the ones tasked with the responsibility to maintain peace and order in the community. We are the ones who speak up for crime victims and do what we can to help people live a better quality of life. We know the majority of civilians don’t hate us. But we also are aware their support and praises are currently being drowned out by the few rabble rousers who dominate the media spewing misinformation and hate.

We know we are making a difference.

We know it was routine police work that solved some of the most heinous crimes.

A simple parking ticket identified David Berkowitz (Son of Sam). It was a traffic stop that ultimately led to the capture of Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh. Can you image what would have happened if neither of these killers were caught by proactive and routine police work? How many more people would have died? We also know those of us on the inside are risking our lives to contain these types of violent criminals.

What would society become if not for the professional men and women who work for the Department of Corrections, Parole, and Probation? Would anybody want to live in a world absent of these professionals?

Therefore, let’s continue to do our jobs, and when the smoke clears, those who are attacking us will have to admit they got it wrong. And lastly, for all those out there attempting to handcuff law enforcement so to speak, remember that it will be law enforcement that will rise to the occasion in catastrophic emergencies. We will be there regardless if we are liked or not. Keep your heads high brothers and sisters. We are the new enemy.

We must continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability and maintain To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

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awareness

No Excuse For Abuse

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

By Captain Donna Roman Hernandez (Ret.)

T

he recent video showing NFL Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice behaving badly exposed his true personality. He cannot justify his actions by saying, ‘a best defense is a good offense.’

It was uncomfortable to watch the initial video, which showed Rice dragging the limp body of his fiancée out of an elevator in Atlantic City. But when the second video surfaced depicting Rice driving his fist into his fiancée’s face, it brought back the horrific memories of decades of domestic violence I endured at the hands of my father, a highly decorated WWII Navy veteran and former court officer.

When Rice assaulted his fiancée he was not on the football field, a socially acceptable venue where physical aggression is displayed, cheered and expected by fans. Rice and his fiancée were in a hotel elevator. Oblivious a video camera was recording his behavior. He concocted a lie of what happened to protect his career, fame and income.

The NFL is not responsible for Rice’s criminal behavior. Rice is responsible for his own abusive actions. This is due, in part, to what he saw, experienced and learned throughout his lifetime, most likely starting at an early age and in the home setting. The visual and audio observations his mind recorded back then had set the stage for how Rice as an adult perceives and relates to intimate partners, friends and family members. Rice likes to dominate his opponents on the playing field and his loved one off the field.

It appears that no one in Rice’s inner circle has helped him deal with his inner turmoil, misguided feelings and personal demons.

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He needs an intervention by qualified professionals who can deliver a strong message to him that he is responsible for his own violent behavior no matter what the justification. To get back into the game, Rice should stop making excuses for his abuse and get the counseling he desperately needs.

control and domination. Victims are not responsible for the actions of their abusers.

Each woman or man who experiences an act of domestic violence in a dating, intimate relationship, or in a family setting has her/his own unique experience and own reasons why she or he stays.

The airing of Rice’s behavior has cast a spotlight on the reality and pervasiveness of the cycle of domestic violence that plagues our society.

Acts of domestic violence are human rights violations. Victims who seek help want to be free from their abusers, but also do so because their rights and liberties have been jeopardized.

A SILENT EPIDEMIC

The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act in New Jersey applies to persons 18 years of age or older or a person who is an emancipated minor that has been subjected to domestic violence by a spouse, former spouse, or any other person who is a present or former household member. This also includes any person who has been subjected to domestic violence by a person with whom the victim has had a dating relationship.

Generally speaking, domestic violence is a learned behavior exhibiting a pattern of coercive domination and control based on or supported by violence. Domestic violence is not solely a woman’s issue; men are also victimized.

No one knows precisely how often domestic violence occurs or how many people are affected because incidents go unreported and misreported and often times domestic violence incidents are hidden in divorce statistics, medical reports and school records that disguise the information.

Some victims fear their batterers and do not report the abuse.

Batterers are master manipulators and predators who use the vulnerability and loyalty of their victims to fuel their lust for

THE COERCIVE CONTROL MODEL

Dr. Evan Stark, the founder of the first shelter for abused women in the United States and an award-winning researcher and a leader in domestic violence advocacy, has taught public administration and chaired the Department of Urban Health Administration at the University of Medicine and University of New Jersey’s School of Public Health. Stark has an international reputation for his work on interpersonal violence.

In his book Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life, Stark writes about the coercive control model, a pattern of behavior focusing on control and dominance that men use as a form of subjugation. This more closely resembles kidnapping or indentured servants than assault and how abusers extend their domination over time in ways that subvert women’s autonomy and infiltrate the most intimate corners of their lives and exercise control over their decision making.

Stark emphasizes, “Coercive control entails a malevolent course of conduct that subordinates women to an alien will by violating their physical integrity To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

(domestic violence), denying them respect and autonomy (intimidation), depriving them of social connectedness (isolation), and appropriating or denying them access to the resources required for personhood and citizenship (control). Nothing men experience in the normal course of their everyday lives resembles this conspicuous form of subjugation. Once injury became the major medium for presenting abuse, its sights and sounds were so dramatic that other experiences seemed muted by comparison.”

For victims, attempting to leave an abusive partner or family situation involves risk, including the risk of being seriously injured or killed. Love, family, shared memories and a sense of commitment are bonds that are hard to break. However, those victims who stay can face increased abuse, which is one reason why victims decide to leave and start new lives. Leaving can be dangerous.

It requires careful thought and safety planning. How dangerous can leaving be?

acts of violence. I spent lots of time and energy protecting myself from facing what I’d been through. Mentally and emotionally I played it down every way I could. I knew I had to escape but I wasn’t leaving without my mother, my co-survivor.

My father groomed me to withstand his bad behavior with silence and compliance, always instilling fear in me that someday he would make good on his promise to hang me and my mother from the beam in the basement of our house. He repeatedly delivered toxic doses of physical and psychological abuse along with intimidation, isolation and control. He deprived me of my rights and resources and cut me off from family, friends and other supports.

BREAKING THE CYCLE

After 32 years of living in a house of horrors, I finally fought back and stood up to my abuser. It was a courageous act that nearly ended my life.

NO TIME FOR TEARS

From personal experience I know how dangerous leaving a batter can be. For more than 20 years I was entrapped in the coercive control module at the hands of my father. I hid my bruises and scars underneath my police uniform and guarded my family secret. I never felt responsible for the abuse, but I was understandably depressed and confused after being abused. I wanted the violence to stop but did not want the daughter-father relationship to end.

Biologically, I loved him, but intuitively I hated his behavior.

I wanted to live a normal life. But how does this happen in a dysfunctional household with the ever-looming potential of lethal violence? My fear of when the violence would happen was worse than the actual

On a Saturday afternoon in 1992 I returned home from college to an argument in the kitchen between my parents. I heard my mother screaming that she had enough and was leaving. Upon entering the kitchen, I saw my mother advance towards my father with a cleaver in her hand. I intervened and my mother dropped the knife. I pushed my father into the wall. He grabbed my neck, lifted me off my feet and banged my body onto the kitchen table with his hands around my neck. My mother screamed, “Stop, you’re going to kill her.” I knew if he killed me, she would be next. This motivated me to fight back.

father, but victim to batterer.

Finally I was in control of him and what happened next. In that moment he feared me like I had feared him for decades. I was ready to gain my freedom. My mother and I left with the clothes on our backs. I safety planned several months before this assault so we had a place to live. We were free from violence and could live a normal life as mother and daughter.

The impact of domestic violence is life altering and could be life ending.

My personal story of victimization and survival has New Jersey roots but it speaks to the global widespread epidemics of child abuse and domestic violence that happen every minute of every day. We should hold all domestic violence perpetrators accountable. There is no excuse for abuse.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is: 1-800-799-7233.

Credits: Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life by Evan Stark, Oxford University Press, 2007.

Captain Donna Roman Hernandez (Ret.) is a domestic violence police specialist, domestic violence subject matter expert and consultant. She is the host of Tough Justice Internet Talk Radio Show (www.toughjusticeddv. com) and The Jersey Beat Blog Talk Radio Show (www.thejerseybeat. blogspot.com). Her award-winning feature documentary-memoir The Ultimate Betrayal: A Survivor’s Journey is available for download or purchase at Amazon.com – Prime Instant Video. Contact Donna at salsacop446@hotmail.com or www. blueforcefilms.com.

My police training launched me into survival mode. For the first time I defended myself from my father’s rage and fought back with a will and determination to survive. He released me and I staggered to my bedroom. We met at the second-floor landing and he knew I was armed. I told him, “No more, it’s over. You will never touch me or my mother again.” Finally, I would no longer submit to his brutality.

He knew this was personal, not daughter to N JBlue now | october 2014

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feature story

The JJC vs.

NJ State Pension Board A Decision Must Be Made

By Daniel Del Valle & Nicole C. Richardson

C

orrections Officer James Pieper went to work one morning and never anticipated he would respond to an emergency code that ultimately would ruin his life. As a Senior Corrections Officer, James Pieper was no stranger to emergency codes. Over the course of his career he’d seen his share of emergencies. But on this particular incident, he was seriously injured and subsequently underwent two spinal fusion surgeries. Officer Pieper describes what he went through as perhaps the most difficult period of his life. Yet he is currently struggling to survive and support his family without disability benefits or employment.

Pieper is fighting to get his job back or to collect the disability he rightfully deserves.

He understands he has an uphill battle, but he believes in the end he will prevail.

How could this happen to an officer who was injured in the performance of his duties? Here’s how it went: On June 25, 2010 Officer Pieper responded to an inmate brawl. As he tried to restrain an inmate, he fell to the ground with the inmate on top of him. The impact caused his spine to jolt upward leading to a severe spinal injury.

“I felt like I got the wind knocked out of me.

I literally saw stars,” he said. After sustaining such a serious injury, another officer had restrained the inmate. He was taken to the nurse’s station in the jail. Later, he was sent to the hospital to get x-rays on his back.

The x-rays did not discover the injury. They simple determined there were no bone fractures.

Since Pieper was hurt on the job, he filed for workers’ compensation and saw a doctor who ordered an MRI of his back. The results revealed a herniated disc in his lower back with a tear. Shortly thereafter, he had another MRI of his neck, which showed two herniated disc with one pushing against his spinal cord.

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when I get older,” Pieper said. “The other parts of my spine have to do more work because the steel plates cannot do the work that the spine should.” Once again he was sent back to physical therapy, but very little progress was made.

The JJC and the pension board

In the immediate aftermath of the melee, he attended physical therapy for a week until the doctor recommended he visit an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon gave him two epidural injections in his lower spine.

“It did not help,” Pieper said. After seeking alternative ways to treat the pain, he was told he needed a discography, a diagnostic test that determines the source of the back pain.

“The doctor took a foot-long needle and inserted it into my spine. It was very painful.

He poked around in my back to determine how bad the disc was,” explained Pieper. “I had to get a lower spine fusion surgery. They went through my stomach, cut a 7-inch incision and moved my intestines to the side to do the back operation. After a couple months of physical therapy, I was doing much better.”

Although Pieper was recovering, he began to experience neck issues two months later.

The neck pain worsened, which resulted in another fusion surgery in September of 2011. Steel plates were placed in the upper spine near his neck to help with the limited mobility his body suffered.

“I had tremendous amount of pressure on my mid-spine, which will cause problems

For one year after the incident, Pieper received his regular pay and would possibly return to work in November of 2011 after passing a Functional Capacity Exam (FCE) given by the JJC. The two-hour long test determined that Pieper was affected by his injury and his surgeon placed him on a permanent 50-pound weight restriction along with several other restrictions in December of 2011. By March 1, 2012, the JJC asked him to turn in his badge and sign the resignation papers due to his weight restriction. “I signed the resignation papers, and I was told to apply for disability with the pension board,” Pieper said.

In April of 2012, Pieper applied for disability with the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System. He was sent to see an Independent Medical Examiner (IME), which was paid for by the pension board. Pieper tells how the IME administered a series of tests during a seven-minute examination. “I complained to him during the exam that I was in pain.

He checked my arm strength, conducted a leg raise test, and I was told to squeeze his fingers and walk back and forth all while he spent most of his time on his cellphone,” Pieper said.

Based on a seven-page report, Pieper said the doctor failed to document his complaints of pain, which was the deciding factor that gave the pension board reason to deny his disability. “The doctor actually claimed that I told him I was not in pain, so they said they were basing their decision from his report since no other documentation was provided and that I could return back to work,” Pieper said.

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Pieper stated that he mailed supportive documentation about his medical condition.

“I provided the pension board in my application documents from my surgeon of two years that said I could not return to work, the two-hour FCE that stated I was disabled and three other doctors along with physical therapy documents that said I could not return to work, but the pension board ignored it.”

Shortly after, Pieper received a form delivered to his house from the JJC that would force him to resign from his job again.

This would change his status from being medically retired to just a retired officer.

“The JJC said if I didn’t sign these papers I’d be terminated and in bad standing.”

This prompted Pieper to inquire about the resignation process from human resources and his attorney. “HR told me this is part of the procedure if you get denied disability that you have to sign the paper.” Pieper said if he did not sign the form within three days, he would receive a disciplinary charge filed by the JJC. The disciplinary charge would automatically disqualify him for an appeal.

Pieper and his attorney sought to appeal the decision of the court in September of 2013. Pieper’s doctor testified on his behalf at the courthouse in Newark. While Pieper had a total of four doctors documenting their medical evaluation stating that Pieper is in fact disabled, the IME doctor from the pension board testified in opposition of the evidence. The decision was made in March of 2014 that the IME had overwhelming evidence that provided enough support to sway the judge and allow Pieper to return to work as a correction officer without any difficulty.

Pieper said he contacted the JJC the same day to request his job back but to his surprise they told him that he would be unable to return due to his resignation. The next day, Pieper wrote a formal request and sent it to the director and assistant director of the JJC. For a couple of weeks, Pieper said he did not hear from them. He said he learned that his request was forwarded to the attorney general and their response was that he could not be re-instated because of his resignation.

The alternative would be to apply for future employment. He was placed on the reemployment list and because of his more than eleven years of service, seniority would push him to the top of the hiring list. Till this

day, Pieper said he has not been contacted by the JCC even while they have hired new officers.

How could this happen to an officer whose spine was fused in two places because he was hurt in the line of duty?

Financial crisis and other woes

Having no income since December of 2011, Pieper said he knew that he wouldn’t receive a paycheck after his FCE pending approval from the pension board that could take anywhere between six to eight months. Denied by the pension board forced Pieper to borrow a lot of money from his parents to pay for his appeal and thousands of dollars in attorney fees that has left him in financial ruin.

Without employment or disability income, it has made it difficult for Pieper to continue medical treatment from his two major surgeries. He has been reduced to use home remedies like an ice pack and taking ten to twenty aspirins a day to treat his pain. “I have

to stretch all throughout the day,” Pieper indicated. “I stay active by walking around to help my physical condition. I do what I can to not make it bad.”

To make matters worse, Pieper declared bankruptcy, and he vacated the home he bought for his wife and daughter, which has now faced foreclosure. Currently living with his parents has at times caused him to feel down. He and his family sleep in a crowded bedroom while his parents provide food, shelter and other necessities. “I feel like my life has been taken. How am I going to provide for my family? I am feeling stressed out. This has consumed my life,” Pieper said. “If it wasn’t for the support of my wife and parents and their positive attitude, my situation would have gotten really bad.”

Hoping for a resolution

“I hate to say this, but what if I didn’t go to work, called out sick or didn’t respond to the emergency, this would have never happened.

Just for doing my job, we lost everything!”

Pieper said that he could sympathize with people who get sick or laid off from a job because of what happened to him. He just hopes that his situation can be resolved.

“The State of N.J. (PFRS Board) says I am not disabled and the State of N.J. (JJC) says I am. I was forced to resign and now I can’t get disability. I am willing to do whatever the state says to do,” said Pieper. He is hoping that in his upcoming appeal a final verdict can be made regarding his health and employment status.

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feature story “Some days I feel like it is hopeless and want to give up. I wonder if I am wasting time and money. I hope a decision can be made,” Pieper said. “I just want our lives back.”

Words are not enough

On a final note, Pieper expresses his gratitude to everyone who has supported him through this difficult time. “My wife is amazing for standing by me through all this. I don’t know many people who would have gone through this with me. I can’t even put it into words how grateful I am.”

A warning to officers

Pieper’s life was changed instantly by doing his job; and as a result, he ended up unemployed, without health insurance and with debt climbing into the thousands. “I would never want officers not to do their job. That’s crazy!” Pieper said. “I would tell them to look at my case and to do what you have to do to not let this happen to you.” He warns officers to contact their PBA or other representation if they go through a similar situation because no one should be punished for doing their job.

To his parents he says, “If it wasn’t for you, I can honestly say, I don’t know where we would be right now. To say I’m grateful would be an understatement. I’m truly blessed to have parents as loving as you.”

Finally to the officers at the JJC, “I would like to tell the officers who I had worked with thank you for their continued support.”

On behalf of the James Pieper family a special thanks goes out to Dr. Alex for his much-appreciated and generous donation.

Furthermore, Pieper hopes that the JJC can put themselves in his situation and understand not only what he has been through but how this has affected his entire family. “The only thing I am guilty of is doing my job and because of this we lost our livelihood. I hope they can come to some kind of conclusion so we can end this chapter.”

To help James Pieper please visit www. youcaring.com/other/support-for-injuredofficer/179603. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Ticket Sales ~ Contact Info: MAILING ADDRESS: F.O.P. Lodge 94 PO Box 782 Flemington, NJ 08822 MAILING ADDRESS:

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EMAIL: NJFOP94@gmail.com

PHONE: 908-806-8243

(payments accepted thru Pay Pal)

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hdekorte@co.hunterdon.nj.us or NJFOP94@gmail.com

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Women in blue

Kareen E. Campbell Import Specialist

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Making A Difference

By Captain Donna Roman Hernandez (Ret.)

K

areen Campbell feels all her work is a labor of love. She enjoys tasks that require problem solving and a high level of commitment. She is an Import Specialist with the Newark Office of Customs and Border Protection and has successfully combined two career paths into one.

Serving the Public

Campbell always took a deep interest in the lives of many people. This interest led her to the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania where in 1990 she earned a Master’s Degree with a concentration in family and children. In this top notch institution, she learned to perfect her skills for helping all people with their personal problems. She also learned the value of helping others and the importance of loyalty and commitment.

pursues a new interest, she is guaranteed to be highly committed.

After seventeen years of service as a social worker, Campbell recognized that the future of social work in a private industry lacked longevity, financial solidity and a retirement plan to better benefit her daughter and herself. In 2008 she made a career change and began her law enforcement career in federal government with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. She felt this career transition was a good one where her social worker skills would be best applied.

Protecting the Public

“My mother and sisters have their Masters in social work and we based our lives on serving the public. This is what we do as a family,” Campbell said.

Campbell feels that many key components of the job of Import Specialist correlate to social work. “A major part of both jobs entails the ability to communicate with the public and the ability to identify obvious and not so obvious inconsistencies. Social workers and law enforcement officers both pay attention to detail and both jobs require some compassion dealing with difficult or tense situations. We protect the public and law enforcement officers working behind the scenes under a cloak of secrecy that gives us more latitude to do our jobs effectively.

Also, we are tasked with protecting the revenue of the importing and exporting community and ensuring that whatever is brought into our country is here legally and paid for.

Campbell has distinguished herself as a conscientious and energetic pioneer in the field of social and emotional learning and several of her peers expressed their respect for her leadership skills. In addition to raising her daughter, she has always found time to get involved in life around her busy schedule. Whenever she adopts a cause or

As Import Specialists, we are broken into different teams with specialized expertise that targets different commodities, like furniture. Imported commodities can and will be examined by us either in the field or through alternative means. If merchandise is brought into the country illegally, sanctions are imposed,” Campbell said.

Her career as a social worker and through promotions has transitioned her into the roles and responsibilities of first line supervisor, as well as managerial and director positions. She is well respected by the community and her peers for the work she does with various agencies.

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Campbell goes on to say, “Before the merchandise enters our country, we have ways to flag certain items, manufacturers and importers that we have random or specific concerns about. We work in concert with the officers in the field at the port of entry, airport, seaport and borders to identify and examine the merchandise. Also, we can identify trade that is jeopardizing the livelihood and health of the public. If we stop one bug that gets into our water supply, we have done a good deed.”

Fostering Sisterhood

Campbell believes a great leader is one who builds relationships, treats everyone with the same respect and dignity and has compassion for people whether they are being difficult or cooperative.

She is also a problem solver who gives much thought about what she does. She knew she was bred for leadership. “My mother always took me and my sisters with her where she coordinated activities or as the president or chair of a group or organization.”

Campbell is the President of the Newark Chapter of the National Organization of Black Women in Law Enforcement, a national non-profit organization founded in 1985 with chapters in Philadelphia, Maryland, Pittsburgh and northern New Jersey. The NOBWLE membership consists of federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Campbell said, “I believe in collaborations, especially those that foster the spirit of sisterhood. I started as a member in NOBWLE and worked my way up the ranks.”

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Recently, Campbell collaborated with several organizations including NOBLE Northern New Jersey, Sisters Beyond the Badge, Passaic County Bronze Shields and the Ladies of Law Enforcement for the 1st Blessing of the Badge ceremony at St. Matthew’s Baptist Church in Roselle, a non-denominational service praying over the badges of law enforcement officers for violence prevention, that concluded with a brunch and networking. This event was well received by the officers and the faithbased community.

women who want to pursue a career in law enforcement and excel beyond their wildest dreams. It gives us an opportunity to support each other, to support the community and provide the opportunity for women in law enforcement to thrive and excel in a profession usually perceived as a male profession. Women in our chapters have been chiefs and supervisors.

When we go into the schools and talk with the students, they are always amazed about the things we do and the different types of jobs that exist in law enforcement.”

NOBWLE not only is committed to supporting female law enforcement professionals, but also works to strengthen the community at large with its participation in local and youth-oriented initiatives. They encourage fair hiring and retention practices and provide training and promotional assistance.

In August the NOBWLE Annual National Training Conference was hosted by the Newark Chapter. The conference theme was “The Courage to Take the Lead: Trailblazers in Law Enforcement.” Campbell said, “We are committed to upholding the honor and integrity of law enforcement. Our organization serves as a beacon for all

The Blessing of the Badges prayer service for law enforcement officers.

that enriched it and have made me smile.

Throughout my life I have looked to great mentors who were a source of validation that I was on the right track and the hard work I was putting in was worth it.”

“I don’t compartmentalize my life. I put all the aspects of my life together close to my heart, weaving all the things I love into one.”

The Newark Chapter Executive Board and General Membership of NOBWLE at the 29th Annual Training Conference

A Labor of Love

Campbell credits her mother and church for being great influences. “Once I made the decision to turn my life over to God and was baptized, He put so many people in my life

Campbell’s story is one of career and family success. “My daughter is in college now and was elected co-counsel chair at her school, in addition to the other organizations she is involved with. I see the spirit of leadership in her and it’s by design. She has been with me, as my mother was with me and my sisters, with every group I ran or office I held. I see the fruits of my labor in her.”

Kareen Campbell may be contacted at: NOBWLE.NEWARK@gmail.com.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Morris County Sheriff’s Office 275th Anniversary Gala The Morris County Sheriff’s Office PBA, FOP and MCSCEA cordially invite you to our 275th Anniversary Gala on Friday, November 21, 2014 at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, NJ. This formal event will feature a cocktail hour, dinner, music & dancing, silent & live auction and entertainment by Comedian & Actor Jim Breuer.

Tickets are $100 per person or $900 for a table of ten.

Based on the overwhelming popularity for this special event, we recommend that interested guests purchase their seating by contacting: Morriscountysheriff275@gmail.com. Like us on facebook.com/MorrisCountySheriffsOffice275thAnniversary

Founded on a sister’s promise over 25 years ago and with nearly $1 billion dollars invested to date, Susan G. Komen for the cure is the world’s largest private sponsor of breast cancer research and has played a critical role in every major advance in fighting the disease.

Help support the Fight! www.njwle.org N JBlue now | october 2014

39

blue events

Nj Honor Legion The fiesta September 24, 2014 Photo Credits: Willis Hulings

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NJBlue now | october 2014

To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

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blue events

A Night to Unite September 20, 2014

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NJBlue now | october 2014

Photo credits: Vincent J. D’Amico

One Night to Unite was a gathering held at Henry’s on the Hudson in Jersey City to support brother and sister law enforcement officers. This event was hosted

by Brothers Before Others, Inc. and sponsored by the Jersey City Detectives Benevolent Association.

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blue humor

YELLOW BANANAS

By Peter J. Midgely

I

n the early 1990’s I was a uniformed police officer assigned to the West District in Jersey City. Jersey City lies on the west bank of the Hudson River across from Lower Manhattan in New York City. Given its proximity to Manhattan, Jersey City is sometimes referred to as New York City’s sixth borough. My assignment, the West District, has about 72,000 people living there from Sip Avenue and Bergen to Virginia Avenue and from the Hackensack River to Garfield Avenue; an area approximately one mile wide and two miles long. The ethnic diversity of the neighborhood residents and the many different shops and businesses in the area makes for the kind of police job with few dull moments.

One particular day I was in a radio car working 0800 to 1600 hours. Although most of the time I was late for roll call, on that day I was on time. At approximately 10:00 a.m. I received a call about a dispute at an address on Atlantic Avenue. I responded with Police Officer Joe Leach, a wonderful person and a great cop. Upon our arrival at the scene we found that the two people involved in the dispute were a father and his son. They were fighting and screaming in the kitchen over the fact that the son dressed like a woman, which made the father upset and angry.

Looking around the room, I noticed a couple of big knives on the kitchen counter a nice bunch of yellow bananas on top of

the refrigerator. Both Joe and I talked to the irate son, and gently moved him away from the kitchen area to the living room so he would not be a threat to anybody. As the son continued yelling, we effectively used active listening skills which seemed to calm him down. When I got the chance I changed the place of the knives and the bananas so that the yellow bananas were on the table and the big knives were out of site on top received a psychiatric evaluation. Months of the refrigerator. Joe and I decided to call later the son moved into his own place and for a bus (ambulance} from the medical happily lived and dressed·the way wanted. center to pick up a person with an AMS Years later I would occasionally run into (altered mental status). Upon realizing this, him at the local newsstand where I bought the furious son started yelling and rushed my coffee and he was always glad to see past me to the kitchen and grabbed what me. He would always tell me that Officer he thought would be a sharp knife. He Leach and I were the nicest police officers squeezed it in his hand and started crying he ever met! and said that he was going to hurt himself and us. Looking down, he suddenly noticed Peter J. Midgely that it wasn’t a knife but a smashed banana email: JCPD1954@aol.com in his hand. He stopped crying and began to laugh. In the way that the dangerous knife was replaced by the harmless banana, his anger IN MEMORY OF was replaced by POLICE OFFICER MELVIN SANTIAGO laughter, and he JERSEY CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT sat down and POLICE OFFICER CHRISTOPHER GOODELL apologized to Joe WALDWICK POLICE DEPARTMENT and I. REMEMBERING

Twenty -First Annual Liturgy

BLUE MASS

The bus responded shortly after and the son went to the medical center and

NJ LUENOW

POLICE OFFICER REINALDO AROCHA, JR. NEWARK POLICE DEPARTMENT

SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE

THOMAS EDWARD DURKIN, JR., Esq. FOR HIS DECADES OF SERVICE TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL FOUNDERS OF THE BLUE MASS

™

Magazine

We’re not here to filter your message, we’re not here to give you a one-sided argument.

We’re here to publish all views, from any and all in law enforcement.

We’re all Blue, we’re nj Blue Now Magazine.

Pro law enforcement, pro truth, pro you!

www.NjblueNow.com

SHERIFF RALPH FROEHLICH

FOR HIS 55 YEARS OF SERVICE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 – 10:00 A.M. CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART RIDGE STREET, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY

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NJBlue now | october 2014

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45

communication

Yes

to Access

By Kelley Higgins-Nelson

Are you prepared and sufficiently trained to communicate with Deaf and hard of hearing community members?

I

f as a police officer, you haven’t met up with a deaf or hard of hearing individual, chances are sometime during your career you will.

Did you know?

• American Sign Language (ASL) is the 3rd most commonly used language in our country.

• According to the NJ Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as of 2010 it was reported that 850,000 deaf and hard of hearing reside in the State of NJ alone. http://www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddhh • Not all deaf people use the same mode of communication.

A person who is born deaf and learns American Sign Language (ASL) first, follows different language rules, uses a different grammatical structure than English, and relies very little on lip-reading.

Whereas, an individual who becomes deaf or experiences a hearing loss after the age of four to five may use sign language in English word order and may or may not depend on lip reading. Yet, another who is latent deaf during teen years or adulthood may depend solely on lip-reading. There are many that are hard of hearing who know nothing about sign language and cannot read lips, but depend primarily on their residual hearing.

Although many officers report that they seldom respond to scenes where there are deaf citizens, an officer needs to be aware that deaf and hard of hearing individuals do

46

NJBlue now | october 2014

live among us and very possibly will cross their path while on duty. Proper training should never be postponed because it is believed that there is a remote chance that such interaction will occur. Are you trained to recognize and effectively communicate with this population?

My primary aim as a trainer/educator is most importantly to heighten an officer’s sensitivity of deaf awareness and provide information so the officer can recognize, within moments, if a person is deaf or hard of hearing. My goal is to educate officers’ basic communication signs, cultural sensitivity and deaf awareness. My focus is to establish a protocol where officers are prepared to clearly communicate using emergency signs, gestures, and/or paper and pen for both the officer and deaf individual alike during an initial interaction.

As the initial responder on the scene, being equipped to recognize and utilize clear and basic communication is imperative before a Certified Interpreter arrives on the scene. It should be noted that under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) a police department does not have to deploy an interpreter for simple transactions such as a license check or giving directions to a location. The ADA also does not make you stop to provide services before going forward with an in-progress call. An interpreter though, may have to be provided for long or complicated transactions like conducting any type of interview, if the person being interviewed normally relies on an interpreter to understand what others

are saying.

So what’s next?

The information I have shared is only a glimpse in the world of the deaf and hard of hearing population. My company, Yes to Access, offers deaf awareness, ADA, and effective communication training seminars tailored specifically to 1st responders --primarily police personnel. My goal is to put in place a protocol for officers that will maximize efficiency for officers and minimize frustration for both the officer and deaf or hard of hearing citizen while they wait for a Certified Sign Language Interpreter to arrive on the scene.

I invite you to contact me if you are interested in learning more about my seminar training on deaf and hard of hearing awareness, cultural sensitivity and basic sign language.

I am available to train your personnel at your facility for a reasonable cost.  Kelley Higgins-Nelson MA is a Nationally Certified Freelance Interpreter (CI and CT) in the tri-state area and has been educating others on deaf awareness, cultural sensitivity, and American Sign Language for over twenty-five years.

KelleyNelson@yestoaccess.com www.yestoaccess.com 973.979.2872 or 973.492.3901

To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

N JBlue now | october 2014

47

remembrance Sponsored by

Officer Paul Laszczynski

www.MomentOfSilenceInc.org

able to dedicate the time necessary to keep his body professional football shape. His family was his priority.

P

aul Laszczynski was a big man 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds of solid muscle at 49 years old. Taking care of his body and his appearance was very important to him. His fellow officers nicknamed him “Paulie Paparazzi” because there wasn’t a camera, a mirror or a reporter he didn’t like. He was a “Gentle Giant” with a big easy grin always there to lend a hand or share a kind word.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland he grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1971. He was a member of the football and track teams and held the record for Javelin.

After graduation, Paul attended Jersey City State College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree as a health science major. He was the tight-end of the football team and was named “Athlete of the Week” and “Who’s Who Among College Athletes” in 1975.

Paul dreamed of one day becoming a professional football player or a police officer. Paul tried out for New York Giants & Dallas Cowboys. When the New York Giants finally called him. Paul had married, (later divorced) had two daughters and was working as a lab technician. He wasn’t

In 1978 Paul became a police officer with the Conrail Police where he remained until 1986 when he left to join the Port Authority Police Department. Since 1993 he was stationed at the PATH Command.

Paul was the type of police officer who preferred helping people rather than arresting them.

In 1993 he received a Medal of Valor for his courageous acts at the World Trade Center bombing. Paul was a member of the Port Authority Honor Guard and wore his uniform with great pride as he carried the American Flag on many occasions.

To him this was a tremendous honor. He was a member of the New Jersey Honor Legion and the Fraternal Order of Police and was a pitcher for the Path Command’s Softball Team.

his dogs. When Harley gave birth to her puppies, he sat with her for the entire delivery process to comfort her. Paul would lie on the floor for hours playing with them. As big as he was, he was soft at heart. He was a “Gentle Giant.”

On September 11th, 2001, he and his fellow members of the Emergency Service Unit responded to the World Trade Center once again. Because of Paul and his fellow officers thousands of lives were saved.

Tragically, Paul died while attempting to rescue victims trapped in the World Trade Center. We salute and remember Officer Laszczynski for his heroic service and making the ultimate sacrifice while helping others. May he rest in peace.

In his spare time, Paul loved to ride his Harley. He was a member of the Renegade (Wild) Pigs Motorcycle Club. He rode in numerous charity events. His fellow club members called him “Axe” because he could be cutting at times. He also owned a home on a lagoon in Manahawkin, where he spent his time boating, crabbing and enjoying life with his many friends.

Paul lived in Paramus, New Jersey.

He had two Lhasa Apso (dogs), Harley & Max. He truly loved

If you would like to honor a brother or sister in BLUE who lost their life on the job or retired, please submit your story to: info@njbluenow.com 48

NJBlue now | october 2014

To Advertise Call: 201.943.3800

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 Officer Jevonn McRae Paterson Police Dept. and “Socks,” a poodle/Yorkshire mix.

Lt. Bob Drumm Bergen County Sheriffs Dept Corrections with “Cheeky,” an American bull dog.

Officer VanNess Passaic County Sheriff’s Dept with his PACK: (L) Ginger, (C) Jelly, (R) Ollie

Joseph Celentano Passaic County Sherrif’s Department

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If you and your dog would like to be featured in Blue Paws, please email your photo to Joseph Celentano at: bluepawsnow@gmail.com.

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NJBlue now | october 2014

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