ROOKIE DIES SHORTLY BEFORE GRADUATING POLICE ACADEMY

By Dennis Beyer

This is a re-post of an article previously written and published on different dates. I have decided to make an effort to post the story each year on the anniversary date of this tragic event. The original story follows below

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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 named 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.

"CIVILIAN POLICE"

I recently obtained the pictured "Civilian Police" shield. It is from Newark, NJ and looks identical to Newark's "Specials". Does anyone know some history about the badge I pictured below. I'd like to hear it.

NEWARK POLICE: HISTORY OF PRECINCT'S AND THEIR LOCATIONS

JOE SAPIENZA prepared this history of each Newark Police Precinct and their Station Houses. He has compiled the exact dates and locations for each station house.

1st Precinct

The 1st Precinct opened in February 1852 at 82 Market Street. It remained there until June 2, 1864 where it moved to 13-15 Williams Street. The Precinct occupied the Williams Street building until a new complex was built at Court and Washington. They officially opened for business on April 27, 1908. This complex has a rich history in the Newark Police Department as it once housed the Traffic Division, Emergency Bureau, and even had a firehouse across the street. The 1st Precinct officially ceased operations on March 1, 1971. In December 2014, the area patrolled by the 4th Precinct was split up. The re-opening of the 1st Precinct occurred where the 1st Precinct responded from 10 17th Avenue. This was operational until June 2021. The 1st Precinct has been disbanded to date.

2nd Precinct

The 2nd Precinct was founded on September 7, 1872, at the old Armory. The Armory was on Morris and Essex Railroad Avenue, which in the present day is in the area of Orange Street and Broad Street. On October 30, 1875, the 2nd Precinct moved out of the Armory and into a new building which was on the corner of 7th Avenue and Summer Avenue. This building housed the 2nd Precinct until March 29, 1954, when the 2nd Precinct moved into the 5th Precinct Station House which was at Orange Street and North 6th Street. The 2nd Precinct operated here until their move into the current home of 1 Lincoln Avenue which happened on February 1, 1983.

3rd Precinct

The 3rd Precinct has the easiest history as it only held three locations since their inception. The 3rd Precinct Station House was originally a sub-station at 202 Ferry Street from November 24, 1883, until April 3, 1887, when it officially became a separate Precinct. The 3rd Precinct occupied this building until June 1, 1891, when they moved to 136 Van Buren Street. This building was later knocked down and turned into a Public Library. The 3rd Precinct moved into their current home in April 1921 and has remained operational in that Station House since then.

4th Precinct

The 4th Precinct originally opened as a sub-station at Springfield Avenue and Belmont Avenue (Now Irvine Turner Boulevard) on July 1, 1883. The 4th Precinct was officially opened on April 23, 1887, at Springfield Avenue and Bruce Street. It only operated there for a short three-year period when on June 2, 1890, they moved in with the Newark Fire Department in a firehouse at 246 Springfield Avenue. The 4th Precinct shared this space with the NFD until they moved into 10 17th Avenue on May 30, 1904. The 4th Precinct remained in that Station House until December 2014 when they moved to 247 16th Avenue where they operated out of today.

5th Precinct

The early days of the 5th Precinct patrolled the North Ward. The 5th Precinct was initially housed at Orange Street and North 6th Street. They opened for operations on May 22, 1905, and remained there until December 18, 1934, when the 2nd Precinct merged with the 5th Precinct and the 5th Precinct was shut down. The 2nd Precinct patrolled the coverage area until February 15, 1945, when the 5th Precinct was reopened in the same Station House and patrolled the same coverage area previously patrolled by the 5th Precinct. This lasted for ten years when on March 13, 1955, the 2nd and 5th Precincts merged again, and the 5th Precinct was disbanded. On June 30, 1956, the name of the 6th Precinct on West Bigelow was renamed to become the 5th Precinct. It operated out of 254 West Bigelow until November 14, 2011, when the 5th Precinct moved into the new police headquarters at 480 Clinton Avenue.

6th Precinct

The 6th Precinct initially patrolled the South District of the city. They opened on October 2, 1908, at 808 Bergen Street. On October 30, 1912, the 6th Precinct moved to 254 West Bigelow. The 6th Precinct was disbanded on December 10, 1934, when the implementation of the radio began. The building remained occupied by the dispatchers for the Radio Division while it was not used as a Station House. On January 1, 1945, the building became a Station House again when the 6th Precinct was re-organized out of this Station. It remained the 6th Precinct and functioned out of this building until June 30, 1956, when it was renumbered as the 5th Precinct. On March 22, 2018, the 6th Precinct was reopened at 491 Irvington Avenue and patrolled the Vailsburg Section of the city and is still operating there. 254 West Bigelow operated as a police facility for 99 years and is now the present site of the new Newark Police Department Crime Scene and Ballistics Facility.

7th Precinct

The 7th Precinct officially opened on December 17, 1913, at 998 South Orange Avenue. The 7th Precinct then moved to 908 South Orange Avenue on April 30, 1919. The 7th Precinct moved into the renovated firehouse at Sanford Avenue and Palm Street on August 17, 1933, until its closing on December 14, 1934. Engine 26 and Truck 12 who previously occupied this building were relocated to 1010 18th Avenue during this time. If you look at the front of the fire house there is still a number 7 on the top of it. It was re-organized on November 18, 2018, at 159 North 10th Street, where they function today patrolling the North Ward.

8th Precinct

The 8th Precinct opened on October 1, 1914, at 259 Washington Avenue (present day 717 Broadway). On June 24, 1924, the 8th Precinct moved into their newly constructed Station House located on the corner of Grafton Avenue and Washington Avenue (present day 741 Broadway). 741 Broadway is now a nursing home and still has a number 8 over the front door of the building. The 8th Precinct was shut down and disbanded on December 18, 1934.

9th Precinct

The 9th Precinct was initially designed to patrol Newark Airport, Port Newark, and parts of the South Ward. A Station House was built in 1931, but it never opened. The 9th Precinct became reality, however, with a different patrol area on January 1, 2023, when they opened at 22 Franklin Street to patrol the downtown Newark area.