Response Time
A conversation with a prominent NJ State PBA member
This month :
Bradley Beach Local 50 State Delegate and Monmouth County Conference Chair Mike Tardio
The Vitals
• 35 years old
• Grew up in Howell
• 15 years with Bradley Beach Police
Department all on patrol
• Began as a Special in Belmar
• Monmouth County Conference Chair
since 2015
• Local 50 State Delegate since 2013
• Represents seven-town Local of Bradley
Beach, Avon-by-the-Sea, Belmar, Spring
Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Neptune City
and Sea Girt
• Married to Cassie (high school sweetheart)
• Daughter, Shayna, 8
• Son, Chase, 5
F irst Response
What do you love about being a law enforcement officer?
It is not a thankless job. It is very satisfying when you get to help someone and they
show appreciation. Seeing that you are making a difference brings me back every day.
I also love the adrenaline and and excitement that we get from work. Every day is
something interesting, different and fun. And you hope to get your hands dirty making
some arrests.”
Mike Tardio, left, with NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan and Executive Vice
President Marc Kovar leading the Local 50 protest of Lake Como Mayor Brian
Wilton in Red Bank in July.
Conversation pieces
What made you want to be a law enforcement officer? And how did you get into PBA representation?
I wanted to do something to make a difference every day. My father was a New York City
firefighter for 25 years. He put his life on the line every day. I wanted to do the same thing. Once I was sworn in, I was interested right from the get-go. I got involved with fundraisers
and showing up to meetings. I developed friendships with members, and as soon as I was
eligible to be put on the executive board, I went for a position. I went from sergeant-at-arms
to first vice president to alternate delegate to delegate.
Tell us about your department
We’re an 18-man police department. We work eight-hour shifts rotating every month to
midnights, evenings and days. It’s tough, but if you have a favorite shift, you see it once every
three months as opposed to being forced on a shift you don’t like.
What it’s like on the job?
We’re a proactive department, and that comes from the top. We are urged to be aggressive
and the members enjoy going out every day and doing just that. It is a small community and
we take pride in keeping our residents and tourists safe.
Tell us about one of your experiences?
On the midnight shift recently, my sergeant and I were driving a side street where we caught
a person breaking into cars. If we’re not out there with our eyes open, we don’t get that
guy. If we’re not being proactive, the day shift comes in the next day, gets several calls from
residents about their cars being broken into, and they’re dealing with an investigation. By
being proactive, we’re catching people in the act and preventing the crimes.
How did you find out about the PBA?
Up until a year ago, in Local 50 you did not get sworn into our PBA and get union protection
until you were off probation, which took a year. My first year, I was not in the PBA and was
involved in an on-duty shooting. I had no union protection, but our State Delegate, Kevin
Davenport, who is now the chief in Sea Girt, took care of me. He checked up on me regularly
and I got to see what the PBA and the brotherhood were all about.
26
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ AUGUST 2017
How do you handle a seven-town Local?
You have seven chiefs and seven governing bodies, so it can be a difficult situation. It’s tough
to keep a pulse on every department, so we count on our representatives in each department
to keep us in the loop. I give a lot of credit to our Local President Anthony Picelli, a detective
in Avon. He is the most organized, squared-away person I know. If it wasn’t for him, I would
be lost. He is aces.
Last Response
What do you love about being a union rep?
It’s not a thankless job. I love getting Sometimes, you say what I am doing this for? But
you’re the one who has to speak up, to say what needs to be said that a lot of members
don’t want to. You need to be the level head in the room. The brotherhood makes it
worth the time. The Monmouth County Conference is like a family. We’re raising money
for good causes like the PBA Survivor & Welfare Fund and doing food drives for the local
food banks. Those are the times when you feel like you are doing something good, and
that keeps you going.