Monmouth County is a nice diverse location. It touches the Atlantic Ocean, gets sliced in half by the Garden State Parkway, and what is left over is beautiful Horse Country.
The community of Red Bank sits on top of this County looking from the North down the Coast to the South. I always remember the place as small and maybe quaint. I don't have a clue what it is like by today's standards. Maybe on my next trip back to NJ I'll have to investigate this location along with several others.
Freehold is one of the big towns in Monmouth. I remember the Freehold Raceway. It was "big time" if you liked horse racing. It also rang a bell when I looked at these great badges in my "New Jersey Probation Collection." It is the County Seat of Monmouth County and the spot where justice is administered.
While I didn't work here I did have the occasion to visit the Court House on a couple of matters. Later I met officers for dinner at the Freehold Hotel. Now that is a hard place to forget. It was decorated like a club for Jockeys and Horses. Besides pictures on the wall the place was adorned with bridles, saddles and other related items (all nailed down).
The meetings with other officers had nothing to do with horses or doing the job. The focus was working conditions, salary, grievance procedure and all that stuff. A few of us, from several different counties, would come together with the hopes of creating a strong unified voice for Probation Officers. It was an uphill path, but it was a start.
From those meetings I established friendships that helped me over the years on the job, and with the collection. One good guy was able to secure the above two silver tone badges for me. The read: Probation Officer, Monmouth County, NJ. They are now out of use, and the agency is now run by he State.
These fine pieces of history make a nice appearance on my wall, and they also trigger many fond memories.
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