U IS FOR UNION COUNTY.
This is (finally) the last badge in the New Jersey Probation Collection. It has taken forty or so years to fill the collection that now has 13 of 21 counties represented. Not every county issued badges to their probation officers so the number missing is less than eight. My best guess is 3 counties are still on the search list.
Union County is a major county in N.J. Its' county seat is Elizabeth. That City shares a Port and Airport with its' better known neighbor - Newark.
Most (28) of my career was in Newark. During that time it was not rare that my job carried me into the neighboring county. I made a number of friend there.
Over the years many hours were devoted to "union business" as well as the actual job. Because Union was bordered on a couple of counties I found myself living only a half mile from its' border. I lived in Morris County, far from Newark, but just a stones throw across the mighty Passaic River, to the City of Summit and Union County.
This town, now home to my daughter, was also home to a Union County Officer who frequently car pooled with me to meetings in Trenton. It seemed like every month we would drive to our Capital to hear the Prophets speak their words of wisdom. We discussed the Gospel on the way home, maybe stop and have a beer, and most certainly enjoy a laugh here and there.
Naturally I used this friendship to acquire the above badge. It took a while. As I recall it was something like four or five years, but I got one. That is all that matters.
The badge is gold finish with an Eagle at the top. The recessed letters are in a circle. At center point is a State Multi Color Seal. There isn't a mark on the badge and, in its' display case, it adds to those fine memories that I have also collected.
U is for UNION CITY.
This community is strangely enough nowhere near Union County. It is in Hudson County, NJ., and is part of the New York Metropolitan area.
This city is relatively small geographically. It is reported to be 1.25 square miles plus or minus a yard or two. It is close to the Hudson River, but short from its' shore by a good mile or so. This is good because New York crime can't wash up on Union City Crime reports.
As one would expect, in such a small land area, there is a large population. It is around 67,000 people, and rankled in the top three most densely populated communities in the United States. That means there are a lot of people in this place.
I believe I drove through this City a few times always going somewhere else. I remember the roads, and the traffic. That comes with population density. I can't recall any spot that caused me to stop. I probably never had a beer here. That is sad. Somewhere I acquired the badge that is pictured above. I don't recall "How, Where or When" this item joined my collection, but I have owned for many years and enjoy having it in my City Collection.
It is a traditional design with the State Seal stamped into the middle of the shield with the letters "N & J" at the sides. At the top are recessed letters simply reading "Union City Police." Number 100 appears in the bottom panel finishing off this nice antique badge.
Now here is a neat piece of history, even if it isn't a badge.
This is an "Official Warning Ticket" that was used by Officers of the POLICE DIVISION 0f the Department of Public Safety. This "Warning" was authorized by John A Brady who served as Assistant Supervisor of Public Safety. That means he was the Chief's boss.
It is estimated that this "Warning" dates back to 1950 +/-. It is in very good condition.The ticket is 3.5 inches by 7.0 inches on printed on a heavy manila paper. The word "Warning" is centered so you can't miss it in bold (half inch) black letters.
When I worked in Essex County I obtained a few pieces of Newark paper on my windshield. I never saw the word warning on any of those tickets, but then I never saw the signs that read "No Parking." Those things are just bad memories, but this one is a nice piece of history that I am pleased to have along with other Newark items.
T is for Trenton. This is a major City for sure.
Trenton is in the history books and should be known by all Americans, at least those who have paid attention to their U.S. History lessons. The City is on the Delaware River which separates New Jersey from Pennsylvania.
During the Revolution our soldiers hung out in the fields of Bucks County in Pa. Their leader was General Washington. Rather then let his troops sing Christmas Carols he decided it would be cool to forge across the river and surprise the enemy in, of all places, Trenton, N.J. on Dec. 26, 1776.
Now I don't know what liquor was being shared by the enemy (Hessian Soldiers), but when "George", and his troops, showed up it was a huge Christmas surprise.
Washington's attack on Trenton was a major victory and helped lead to the establishment of our Democracy. It contributed to the end of taxation without representation, and overseas rule.
Today the liquor and soldiers are gone. The barracks, however, still stand and have become became a National landmark. After the War Trenton served as our US Capital for a brief time. In fact it didn't become the State Capital until late 1790.
After Democracy got its' start, the guys in Trenton turned New Jersey, despite its' small geographical size, into a National hub. The State, and its' capital, were in key locations for river and ocean transportation, world commerce, and naturally politics.
Today Trenton is well known for great political concepts. These include: Income Tax, Real Estate Tax, Sales Tax and Massive Debt.
History might just be repeating itself. Keep an eye on this State. One might detect tea in the waters again. Of course the new rebellion will be peaceful, because that is our current nature. In addition the Trenton Police Force now protects this City, its' surrounding streets, and the barracks. There will be no surprise attacks.
Police have been in existence in some form since the early 1700's. Initially the "Cop" on the beat in those early days was a Constable. Later there was a City Marshal. He was able to hire officers to do the job, and saw his job title change to Chief. His "force" became the Trenton P.D. in the mid 1800's
Over the forty years of collecting badges I have acquired just two badges from this Department. The silver shield with the eagle on top is a real treasure in my City Collection. This item is silver. It has a nice shape with finely detailed wreaths on the sides. The lettering is precise and has no color added to it as in the modern badges. The City Seal is in the center.
In the early 1900's the second pictured badge became the badge used by Trenton's fine officers. It is a traditional design and now shows recessed letters. The letters are filled with black enamel and simply read: Trenton Police (NJ).
In the center of the second badge is again the City Seal. Only a few municipalities in NJ have their own seal at the center of their badges. It is quite unique and attractive.
Both of these items are believed to be authentic. They have been in this collection for a good twenty years and serve as a major part of the my "City Collection." They are on display in a large case where they all remind me of yesterday and many fond memories.
S is for Sussex County in my collection of antique badges from the old "County" Probation Departments in N.J..
I have two badges from this place up in the mountains of northern New Jersey. The County at one time was in the running for the least populated area in the Garden State. There were probably more cows and chickens then people. That might still be true.
The county did have a probation department as there were a few real people living in the woods. When they got out of line they wound up on probation. The small department capably handled all cases that came their way.
Over the early years badges were not generally possessed by the officers. That changed in the 1980's. At that time a complete order was made for every officer and the Chief. Now these items are obsolete as the County Department has been taken over by the State. A different badge is in use today and it is issued from the State Capital in Trenton.
The badges pictured here are actually a "Rank Set." When purchased the only distinction made for job titles was that of the Chief. That badge was number 1. The remainder of this agency had the word "Officer" on their badge.
These are still in very good condition and show no signs of use. They, like the others in my collection, are treasured. They are on display where I can constantly see them. I let them remind of some pleasant days in the wilderness of this County. I guess today it is a metropolis. Either way Sussex County is part of some fine memories.
The New Year will get a great start with a show for badge and patch collectors the end of the month (January 29TH).
The EVENT will be in Titusville at the Elks Lodge. It will be a one day event for: Show and Trade.
We plan to exhibit parts of our Jersey Collection that has been accumulated over the last 40 years.
