NEW JERSEY STATE
POLICEMEN’S BENEVOLENT
ASSOCIATION
EXECUTIVE BOARD
PATRICK COLLIGAN
State President
MARC KOVAR
Executive Vice President
Peter Andreyev 1st Vice President
Michael Pellegrino 2nd Vice President
Mark Aurigemma 3rd Vice President
Eugene Dello 4th Vice President
Richard Kott 5th Vice President
Frederick Ludd 6th Vice President
Luke Sciallo 7th Vice President
Frank P. Cipully 8th Vice President
Ed Carattini, Jr. 9th Vice President
Michael Freeman 10th Vice President
Bryan Flammia 11th Vice President
Robert Ormezzano 12th Vice President
Michael Kaniuk Financial Secretary
Margaret Hammond Recording Secretary
John Monsees Treasurer
Terrance Benson, Sr. Trustee
Rodney Furby Trustee
Patrick Moran Trustee
Joseph Macones Trustee
Michael Tardio Trustee
Michael Heller Trustee
Keith Curry Trustee
Christopher Ricciotti Sergeant-at-Arms
John Granahan Sergeant-at-Arms
Joseph Nigro Sergeant-at-Arms
Mark Piercy Sergeant-at-Arms
Christopher Ebert Sergeant-at-Arms
Brian Brownlie Sergeant-at-Arms
Michael Palmentieri Sergeant-at-Arms
Stephen Warren Sergeant-at-Arms
Joseph Sles Sergeant-at-Arms
4
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JANUARY 2019
A gracious Christmas
gift helps us keep
on truckin’
If you follow us on Twitter (@NJSPBA) or Facebook (NJ State PBA), you
might have noticed that the PBA Survivor & Welfare Special Services Trailer
has ventured pretty far from Woodbridge on many occasions during the past
few years. We travelled to honor officers lost in the line of duty in Texas, Lou-
isiana, Georgia and Florida, to name just a few destinations.
When Steve Kalafer of Flemington Car & Truck Country graciously donated
Patrick
the 2016 Ford F-250 a few years ago, it was the perfect vehicle to travel across
Colligan the New York-New Jersey region with our new trailer. When our horizons ex-
panded, we soon realized that the gas engine and smaller fuel tank weren’t
exactly perfect for the long haul. So back to Flemington I went with another dozen jelly
doughnuts from Plainfield Donut Shop (the same as the cost of the first truck).
Steve was either hungry for those doughnuts or in a very good mood because in early
January, we picked up our $78,380 Christmas gift: A Ford F-350 Lariat dual rear-wheel diesel
with every single option we’d asked for. I’d love to park that truck and never have to use it
even once, since the large trailer only travels for line-of-duty deaths. Unfortunately, I don’t
think that will be the case. (I’m not sure anybody else is getting the same truck for a dozen
jelly doughnuts, but I have no doubt one of you will give it a shot!) Thank you, Steve. You’ve
made a very difficult task a lot more bearable for our dedicated members who travel with
the trailer to honor officers lost in the line of duty.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about everybody’s friend, Mercer County Sheriff’s Officers Lo-
cal 187 President Pablo Santiago. Every once in a while, God smiles and gives us someone
special like Pablo. The world would be a much better place if we had a lot more Pablos to go
around.
If you met him even once, you were his friend. If you got to know him, you considered
yourself privileged, and if you got to spend any time with him, you knew what a truly special
person he was. If Pablo had an enemy somewhere or someone had a bad word to say about
him, I will confidently put the blame squarely on their shoulders. Unfortunately, it was a life
cut way too short. As is often the case, we are left with more questions than answers. While
Pablo was making us laugh, living a life of service to others and making everyone in his life
feel special, he was obviously struggling with his own demons. It made me realize that no-
body is immune to life’s struggles. It’s hard to believe that behind that constant smile, Pablo
couldn’t find a way to help himself, or more importantly, reach out to one of us. His decision
has had a profound impact on many people’s lives. I hope Pablo can continue his legacy of
service to others and help even one person realize that there is always help available and
that suicide absolutely is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Help is only a call
away.