ROOKIE DIES BEFORE BEING ISSUED BADGE

 By: Dennis Beyer

This Post has been published previously on different dates. I have decided that I will  Re-Post the story on the anniversary of this tragic shooting. Here it is below in original form.

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As I look at my collection of badges a couple of sad memories entered my mind. I'll address one in this post, and the others "down the road.".

I graduated West Side H.S. in 1961. That was the year Roger Maris hit 61, and "The Mick" hit 54. I still remember those guys even though I am a Dodger fan. 

My hero in 1961 was still "The Duke of Flatbush." Los Angeles was now the new home of Duke Snider. He was near the end of his baseball career.

Yeah, High School was over in June of 1961. The Summer, for the most part, was the last time a lot of us ever saw each other. We played a lot of baseball up at Ivy Hill Park. When September came it was off to college for me. The future looked bright.

A guy who graduated in my class was a fellow name John Gutenkunst. We lived in different neighborhoods, we had different friends, and we never hung out together. He too had a bright future, and he was just beginning his career with the Newark Police Department.

Four years later I graduated college. It was 1965. I got a job as a Probation Officer in Essex County, partly because my Dad knew Chief Mulligan, but that's another story. Now, four years after graduating high school, I had lost track of just about everyone I knew from "The Burg," "West Side," and "Ivy Hill Park." That included John, who was an exceptional baseball player.

In October I heard John's name again. It was Oct. 16, 1965. He was a Rookie Officer in the Newark Police Academy. He was looking forward to graduating, enjoying the weekend, then getting his badge on Monday Morning. It never happened. 

On that October day he had the misfortune of seeing someone hit his car. He approached the guy to question him. The guy had a gun. John was shot and killed.

While I wasn't especially close to John this event is something I still remember. It haunts me.

USCG "NATIONAL STRIKE FORCE"

I have never posted a picture of a Challenge Coin before so this will be my first article, only because it is Very Special. 

This coin was given to me by may grandson. Zachary is a member of the Coast Guard Strike Team stationed at Mobile Bay, Alabama. He has been in the Coast Guard 7 years now. Great for him and his family. I hope He makes a  career of it.

He knows my interest over the last 55 years, plus or minus (mostly plus) is NJ Police Badges, but introduced me to Challenge Coins a couple of years ago. I only have a few and will be happy to place this one on display so I can throw a salute at it every day. 

DEFINITION OF A CHANCEMAN?

Following up from the August article on Newark "Radiators".

Over the years I received input from other collectors about the "C" on this badge. The closet one came was that this shield was used by police "Chauffer's." That is incorrect.

I determined with certainty that the Title was "CHANCEMAN" from a review of the annual report of the Newark Police Department for the year 1893. That report listed this specific title as part of the table of organization.

I subsequently learned that in order to become a regular officer new candidates had one year to make three successful arrests. Success was defined as resulting in a conviction.

REMEMBER 911, THE FALL OF THE TWIN TOWERS

  By: Dennis Beyer

Twenty-three years ago The Twin Towers stood in lower Manhattan. I used to see them daily on my way to work looking across the New Jersey landscape towards the Big Apple. The Towers were a Landmark for me before I retired. 

Twenty-three years ago The Towers stood until roughly 9:00 AM. One hour later they were down and just a memory. 

Twenty-three years ago I watched in horror as a second plane crashed into the second Tower. I listened to reports about a Plane crashing into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. I heard the reports about passengers on a fourth Plane that stormed the cockpit and gave their lives to prevent another tragedy.

I have the Badge and Picture, at the top of this post.  They remind me daily of the acts of terrorism that struck America Twenty-three years ago on September 11, 2001. I'll never forget !

A friend, at my request, did the drawing pictured above. It shows the Twin Blue Beams rising into the Sky marking the location of the Towers in NYC. Another friend got the Badge for me appropriately numbered 911.  The Badge lays on a blue ribbon in recognition of those who gave their lives on this tragic day.

SPACE COAST SHOW, SATURDAY JAN. 25, 2026

 

SPECIAL DEPUTY SHERIFF: MORRIS COUNTY

 

This is the Fifth Installment of  Special Deputy Sheriff's in New Jersey. The County featured in this post is Morris County. This was my home county for thirty years before retiring in 1999. It was/is a very nice place to live!

It measures 1.50" by 1.00". It is one of the smaller badges in this collection. I estimate this historical piece to date back to the early 1960's. 

There are two panels, and a ring, on the face of this badge. They are finished with recessed letters and enamel fill that is still in good shape with the very visible words:  SPECIAL,  DEPUTY SHERIFF,  MORRIS COUNTY, NJ, NUMBER 129.

This badge is in very good condition. I keep it, like the others,  under glass in this Special Deputy Collection. It hangs on the wall in my Den where I see it every day (Even without my glasses).

 

THE SNOWMAN

 

By Dennis Beyer

This article is a reprint of my original post regarding a tragic shooting in Newark. I have decided to re-post the story in its' original format on the anniversary date of this incident. That story follows:

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It was 1974 and I was struggling to make ends meet. I was now working in the Probation Departments' Pre-Sentence Investigations Section. We prepared reports for the court, so judges could impose their sentences on those individuals who definitely were not the "pillars of the community." My job gave me quite a bit of time "in the field." I was constantly traveling from one end of the County to the other. That was great for the expense account and paying the bills.

On April 2, 1974 my daughter Cathy was born. She's 29 now. How time flies, especially when you can't count. Sometime after Cathy's birth I "got a tip" that I could find some nice cobble stone to place around the plant bed in front of my house. They would make a nice addition, and were free. I just had to get myself into an isolated area near US 1. Under an overpass was a small embankment containing "my" landscape blocks. The first problem I encountered was they were heavy. I could only move half in one trip. The second problem was NPD showed up.

The Officer, riding alone, wanted my ID, and to know what I was doing. I couldn't make up a good story so I tried the truth. It seems the person who told me about these blocks also told the officer I might be around that location, and to "look out" for me."

The Officer busted my chops real good, then asked, with a huge grin, if I was done. I told him "No." I intended to get the rest of the pile. He, smiled, and said, He'd be back the next day to "watch out for me." One day later I had all "my" blocks, and 34 years later they are still around my old homestead. I remember those blocks, and meeting the "Snowman."

John Snow was assigned to traffic patrol. He routinely covered US 1 near Newark Airport. He used a "CB" radio and talked to the truck drivers. "Snowman" was his "handle." Those two afternoons were the only contacts I had with with this man.

In 1976 I heard his name mentioned on the radio. It was August and Friday the 13th. John was making a delivery of cash to a Bank when he was robbed. Gunfire took his life that day.

I really did not know the man, but I smile every time I think of those blocks. That smile soon fades when I remember Aug. 13 1976.