CITY COLLECTION: E IS FOR ELIZABETH

E IS FOR ELIZABETH. She doesn't sound like it's a major City, or a place of any historical significance. Names are deceptive.

The fact is when you fly into Newark, N.J. a good deal of the Airport is in Elizabeth. Just to the right of Runway "4R/L22" is the Port area, and beautiful Staten Island, N.Y.

The City, like its' better known neighbor Newark, was established in the mid 1600's. It was founded by the English, and called Elizabeth Town. The place was situated on the West side of Newark Bay. I guess that is why a big part of "Port Newark," like the airport, is in Elizabeth too.

It has a population of around 120,000 people. This makes the "town" the fourth largest City in New Jersey, and definitely a major city. It is separated from N.Y. by The Arthur Kill Waterway. Newark Bay is to the North End, and at the Southern end is Raritan Bay. These are colorful waters that glow at night. Definitely not a place to swim.

The Goethals Bridge, to Staten Island, was the passage to legal drinking (age 18) when this writer was a kid. The City and that Bridge were quite popular for weekend teenage travel. It was also the scene of heavy police activity on the Elizabeth side. Many drivers licenses were produced shortly after the midnight hour by teenagers who thought they were "OK" to drive home. Numerous tragedies were averted back then, but nobody was counting.

In 1958 tragedy did strike a major bridge in Elizabeth. It wasn't the Goethals Bridge, and teenage drinkers were not involved. This was a "lift bridge" that spanned Newark Bay connecting the Cities of Elizabeth and Bayonne.

The News reports said: That during the morning hours of September 15 Passenger Train 3314 missed a couple of stops before going off an "open" lift bridge. This time they were counting. Forty-eight people died when the speeding train fell into Newark Bay. The Elizabeth Police had a major disaster to handle on that day.

A Cop in New York City lost his son in the accident. He was "Snuffy" Stirnweiss. He was thirty-nine years of age, and the father of six. "Snuffy" played a little second base for a local team. He was an All Star, and an American League Batting Champion.

It was a major rescue scene that took place that day in September of 58. It was a land, rail, and water operation. An Elizabeth resident named Halsey wasn't there that day, and he wasn't even involved in law enforcement. Nonetheless, he would have been a real asset to the men in blue. As Admiral Bull Halsey he knew something about rescue boats, and he had a kick butt attitude that many of my generation admire. He sure would have been a fine addition to a fine Police Department, and he knew how to adorn a uniform.

The badges pictured are from this City, and are in my collection. The "Officer" badge is number five alphabetically in the "City" Display. The Sergeant Badge is in my "Municipal" Display, as is the "Detective" Badge. These items have been in the collection for a couple of decades. Initially they were believed to be authentic, but today there is an element of doubt.

Each of these badges is in fine shape. The focus of the "Officer" and the "Sergeant" badge should be the seal. On both the Seal is not centered because of the location of the panels that read: ELIZABETH POLICE. The number box has a distinct design, that may very well not be legitimate Elizabeth design.

The "Detective" shield is wallet size and this item has a State Seal. It is believed that this item was used as an officer's "off duty," secondary, or wallet badge.

These badges make my mind work. Sure there will be some history that they bring to the table, but they will also reignite the interest that I have regarding their authenticity. In any event they play an important role with the memories that they make.

UNIVERSITIES

I just happen to have these two badges from New Jersey Universities. The schools main campus' are not in any "City", but near enough.

Seton Hall University is located in the Village of South Orange. It borders on the Ivy Hill section of the City of Newark. This is the neighborhood where I grew up. Note The Seal is not from the State, but from the University. I believe this badge is from the late 1960's. In addition to the Seal, the badge reads: Patrolman, Police, Seton Hall, Univ. The lettering is filled with black enamel.

I remember playing baseball in Ivy Hill Park. It was separated from Seton Hall by a fence. I don't recall "The Hall" having a police force of its' own back then. I do remember climbing that fence frequently. I guess if I do that today I'll have to climb quickly and be able to run.

The second badge comes from Drew University. It is located in Madison, NJ. It is about thirty minutes from Newark. The school drew some attention when Tom Kean, the former governor, took over as the President of the University. Kean is better known for being Chairman of the "9-11 Commission." I have met the man, but I can assure you he did not give me the beautiful badge from Drew University.

It is at least 20 years old and in excellent condition. It is marked: Public Safety," "Police", and "Drew University." These markings are on raised panels, with black lettering. In the center is a multi color NJ Seal which is unique as the University is not a public institution. The badge has some good weight to it, and looks real good.

Both of these items are in my Den with the rest of my collection. They trigger many memories covering decades long since gone.

FINAL CALL FOR NEW JERSEY COLLECTOR

A couple of days ago (Dec 30) I lost a friend to Cancer. He was Frank Donaghy, and he was a badge collector for over 40 years.

The man was a retired (Try telling him that) Newark Police Detective, and Bomb Technician. Frank lived with his wife Maryanne in Mountainside, NJ.

His home was at the foot of the Watchung Mountains just a short distance from "his" City - Newark, NJ. Even though his home was in the Next County it was close enough to be considered, in some circles, Newark P.D.'s Last Precinct.

The home was adorned with badges and other memorabilia from Newark. His collection, and warm friendly manner attracted police and collectors from near and far. I traveled 1200 miles to meet him following our first trade. Since that meeting we became good friends, and traded a couple more items, but a lot more stories about friends and family. I think we wore the coffee pot out while we just talked and laughed about our lives in Newark.

Badge 1588 has finally retired. His friends, and, more importantly, his family will miss him. I will too.

NEW WEB SITE FOR COLLECTORS

PC News announced in their recent addition that two long time collectors have created a site to help those interested in Law Enforcement Memorabilia. The site is owned by James Bolander and Chris Spurling.

Badges may be listed in several categories for auction to follow collectors. Starting the first of the year there will be a two dollar fee to list each item, however there are no additional fees or commissions.

This site is sure to be a favorite. Its' address is: http://www.badgeswap.com

CITY COLLECTION: STUCK IN THE "ORANGE" GROVE WITH SOUTH & WEST ORANGE MEMORIES

The communities of South Orange and West Orange are not Cities. They, however, border the two "Oranges" that are Cities so, it is appropriate to write about them while covering my "City Collection."

In New Jersey all the Oranges are linked, and since I have badges from each municipality, it makes further sense to cover them.

These badges bring forth some nice, but unrelated, memories regarding this town of 15,000. Actually South Orange was incorporated as a Village in 1861. I am told that my Great Uncle (Fred Helmlinger) was Chief of Police there. I haven't verified that. I sure don't have his badge, but I am looking for it.

The Village is probably best known as the home of Seton Hall University. Many if its' students have made my acquaintance. The basketball team, however, has put the school, and Village, on the national map. And YES the University has its' own police department. Naturally I have one of their old badges, but not enough room to picture with this article.

In the late 1980's I was working as a probation officer in charge of the electronic monitoring system or house arrest program. We were quite successful with this operation. Out of the blue The Prime Time News Show contacted us. They wanted to do a segment of their TV show featuring our officers on the job - "live." I gave this a lot of thought, before immediately saying "OK."

This was a great opportunity for officers. We placed a TV crew at the home of a real bad criminal (driving on suspended list)who was under house arrest supervision. We also had a TV crew at our office. I was to do a manual call to the "bad guy's" house, and simultaneously have dialog with Hugh Downs and Diane Sawyer.

Just before "show time" my guys rushed into the "monitoring office" to place a huge banner on the wall. It read SETON HALL. Even the TV guys had an interest in the National Championship Game. Everything seemed good. We were ready, and so was "The Hall."

Midway through the TV show, during a commercial break, Hugh Downs called me. He gave me the bad news: They had to cancel our portion of the show as they ran over the time limit in earlier segment. At least I got to talk to Hugh and suggested he arrange time for me to demonstrate an ankle device on Diane Sawyer's leg. He thought that might be interesting, but never called back.

The night went further downhill from that point. Seton Hall lost to Michigan, by one point, 80-79. Now, twenty years later, these moments are more of the fond memories i have that are associated with my badge collection.

There are six badges from South Orange in my collection. The are all fairly old. As the pictures reveal there is: a traditional shape chrome plated "Special Officer" badge with the number 11 in the lower panel. This one is in the best shape of those that I have. Next are Lieutenant and Captain Badges. They are in average condition, with the Captain's Badge being newer. It has a multi-color seal that was added to an old style shield. Following these two are wallet shields marked "Patrolman" and "Chief." The last is from the Police Reserve and is also marked "Chief." Neither of the Chief' badges belonged to my Great Uncle, but I sure wish one did.

Next to South Orange is the larger Town of West Orange. I had relatives all over that place, but the closest I ever got to a police connection is my wife's Grandmother. She lived in a two family house and the "boy" on the second floor became a cop in West Orange. Now his badge is in excellent condition, but the picture of it will have to wait. It too adds to a great collection of memories.

CITY COLLECTION: O FOR ANOTHER ORANGE

"ORANGE" is the name of another City in NJ. I have a couple of badges from this City, but no recollection as to how I got so lucky to get them. I hope the memory loss is not a sign of the onset of Alzheimer's

I do remember the City of Orange quite well. The City is the size of a postage stamp, and is cut in half by Interstate 280. I'd like to say that this community is a quiet suburban town, but that would be a huge stretch of the imagination.

This City was a fun town: They had a bar on almost every corner. At one time Rheingold Brewery was located there - right next to the Interstate. The beer was decent, but the Miss Rheingold Contest's were great. Those are pleasant memories.

I guess it was a good 40 years ago that I visited some night spots in Orange. One joint was said to be frequented by "Two Ton" Tony Galento. He was a boxer and a colorful guy. In the 1940's, into the 50's, he owned a bar in this City. Later he was a bar tender and a community hero. He was still a legend in the 60's when I was just learning about "whiskey and women."

Galento fought Joe Louis, and boasted before the fight that: "I'll moider da bum." He became pretty famous for that line. He also became a legend for knocking Louis off his feet. Despite that famous knockdown, Galento lost the fight.

As a boxer he had a style that has been reported to make "Mike Tyson look like Lord of the Princes." Tony Galento could have been the SWAT Team if he were a Cop. That brings me back to the badges from Orange in my City Collection.

Looking in the case where the majority of my "City Collection" is housed, there is an old traditional style "Officer's Badge" from Orange, N.J. It is in excellent condition, and carries the number 80 in the lower panel. The top panels are marked: "City of Orange" followed by "Police." I also have a Lieutenant's badge that is a real relic. This one is in pretty good condition. The paint in the letters is somewhat worn. The State Seal was placed in the center of the badge prior to plating. The overall finish is still very good.

As noted above I don't recall how I obtained this badge. I am very happy to have it, along with some good memories relating to this City. I am also glad that I no longer think I am in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

CITY COLLECTION: E IS FOR EAST ORANGE

E IS FOR EAST ORANGE. It sounds like it should be an orange grove in my Naples, Fl. backyard.

It isn't an orange grove, and it isn't in my backyard! This is a Major City in New Jersey, and one of the twenty City badges in the collection pictured above. Old number 50 is number four in the top row.

Back to Oranges - The City of East Orange is one of four municipalities, all in Essex County, bordering on each other and having "Orange" in its' name. Two, Orange and East Orange, are Cities. My birth certificate says I was born in E.O. at the General Hospital some 100 years ago - maybe a little less. I guess that makes me a native son.

A number of my relatives were born and raised in this City. One worked in the Tax Collectors Office. The other was cop. His name was Sam. He was a jovial guy who loved his job. It was said that, even after he retired he walked his beat. At least he did at Christmas time. That's dedication. I wish I had his old badge, but it's M.I.A.

This City has a population of just under 70,000. It is know as the "Cross Roads of New Jersey." It had that name long before the Garden State Parkway crossed Interstate 280. The County probation department, where I worked, had an office in this area (9th and Grove).

Thinking about that area I recall one of the officers, who worked for me, in that old office. He was an Italian kid. I called him Geronimo because he had a bow and arrow in his vehicle. One midnight he decided to test his skill by shooting arrows into an abandoned apartment building across the street from our office. I think he was sending a message, but I never got his point. Today that incident is just a great memory.

I have a couple of nice badges from this City. One is an officer's shield and the second is a detectives badge. I have had them a good 40 years, and they were old when I got them.

The Officer's badge is a real nice traditional shape item. It is nickle plated and in good condition for its' age. It simply reads: "East Orange - Police." In the center are the applied numbers 50. These numbers may not have been the originals. There is discoloration on them and also on the badge around them.

The second badge is housed in an other display I have. It is the same shape as the New York Captain's shield. This one is in very good condition. It is gold finish with blue letters spelling out: East Orange, Police, Detective. In the center is the N.J. State Seal in a circle of blue.

Both of these items have a fine home under glass in my home. When I see them they always bring back some very special memories of relatives and that kid I called Geronimo.