President’s Message – July 2013

As this magazine is delivered to our members and supporters, the summer season is upon us.   The Jersey Shore is in the midst of a remarkable come-back and we must be mindful of the many New Jerseyians that are still experiencing hardships.   So many of our brothers and sisters in blue spent months protecting their neighbors in the shore communities and areas effected in North Jersey while experiencing the loss of their own homes.   These heroes are typical of the men and women that make up New Jersey’s Finest!       It was little more than a month ago that hundreds of New Jersey’s law enforcement officers pedaled to Washington DC to show their sup-port for their fallen colleagues. We must never forget the families that were left behind by our fallen he-roes.   I salute the men and women of the Police Unity Tour for keeping our heroes alive in memory forever.       As scores of newly minted police officers join our ranks from the police academy,  we must be mindful that all of us in law enforcement have a responsibility to help mold these police officers into experienced cops.   The challenges in law enforcement continue to grow, the job becomes more and more demanding while we have to remember that this profession is a brother-hood.   We need to re-member that the men and women in law enforcement are a family and we should be mindful about supporting each other.       As this magazine is printed, the New Jersey Civil Service Commission is accepting applications for the NJ Law Enforcement Entry Level Examination. While diversity in law enforcement is important, we must be vigilant to en-sure that Italian Americans are well represented in law enforcement.  Over the summer months, I will be hosting several recruitment events targeting Italian American law enforcement candidates with an emphasis on returning veterans.       It is also imperative that Italian American police officers study for promotional exams to achieve leadership positions in our states law enforcement agencies. Although many of New Jersey’s law enforcement executives are currently Italian Americans, it is important to maintain that number.

I wish all of the members and supporters a healthy and happy summer.  I hope to see all of you at the Member Pool Party and Picnic on August 3rd in Westfield.

Fraternally yours,

William Schievella

President