CLOSING ARGUMENTS
Were you home for
the holidays? Thank a cop
It’s a sought-after goal of many professionals in
every industry: taking a break from the challenges
of the workplace and heading home for the compa-
ny of family and friends in a comfortable, celebra-
tory environment. Whether home is a quick drive
away or a cross-country flight, all holiday travel-
ers encounter one thing: a police officer who is on
duty. Maintaining the safety of our roadways, pro-
tecting shoppers walking down Main Street, main-
taining order at the airports, bus stations and rail
BILL
platforms — all the jobs of police officers assigned
SPADEA
to work through the holiday.
This year was the first time in my career — other than when
I was going through boot camp at Parris Island — that I was
working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was difficult to
say goodbye to my family on Christmas morning as they head-
ed to New England to visit our extended family, exchange gifts
and relax. As I headed into the studio, I passed a police officer
on the side of the road. All I could think of was how thankful I
was to have spent so many holidays making the annual Christ-
mas journey to see family and friends. How many police officers
had spent those same holidays in their patrol cars, walking the
streets or guarding inmates at one of New Jersey’s prisons?
Law enforcement is a 24/7 commitment, and there is no
downtime. Even on Christmas Day, we learned of an elderly
woman beaten by an intruder who decided to prey on the vul-
nerable early in the morning. Crime never takes a vacation, and
therefore the cops can’t, either. When someone signs up to be
a cop, he or she knows that they are sacrificing for the great-
er community and for their brothers and sisters in uniform.
They know that the call of this special duty will have them away
from family during some holidays. How many dads missed the
expression on a young kid’s face when he opened presents on
Christmas morning? How many moms missed sharing the “Sev-
en Fishes” on Christmas Eve with her husband and kids, antic-
ipating Santa’s arrival? How many corrections officers barely
knew it was Christmas from their posts behind the walls keep-
ing order in our prisons? These men and women are the true
faces of heroes in our state and country. Local law enforcement
is always vigilant, always alert and yes, always on duty. Very few
careers guarantee the sacrifice of being separated from family
so that others could be joined with their families in peace and
security.
Taping the news show on Christmas Day was a great remind-
er for me of how lucky we all are to have the heroes of the New
Jersey PBA and law enforcement members throughout NJ and
across America willing to sacrifice their safety and their own
comfort for the rest of us. As we head into 2019, it’s important
to recognize that the job of cops is not getting easier.
Actually, it’s getting increasingly more dangerous, as the num-
ber of officers killed in the line of duty is rising, not falling. For
all the bluster from politicians on both sides of the aisle, we’re
not seeing a greater protection of the brave men and women
78
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JANUARY 2019
who wear the uniform. In 2018, 130 brave souls were lost in the
line of duty. As of Christmas Day 2018, 142 heroes were killed
serving and protecting the public. That’s a nine percent in-
crease, and it’s 142 too many.
As much as police officers sign up to protect and serve the
public, the public needs to think about how to protect and serve
law enforcement. Simple things like slowing down and moving
over when a cop is pulled over on the shoulder. Put down the
keys if you’ve been drinking. And maybe stop watching and “lik-
ing” all the out-of-context videos posted to social media spe-
cifically focused on disparaging law enforcement. Don’t think
for one second that the people posting these videos are out to
expose “bad cops.” They are not. As a matter of fact, what they’re
doing is taking the legal and necessary action conducted by po-
lice officers and trying to make unsuspecting viewers think that
the cops are doing something wrong. It shouldn’t take a grand
jury to repeatedly have to decline to indict because the cops
were just doing their job. We need fewer cases to even get that
far. We need responsible members of the public to rise up and
shout down the detractors of cops. The loudest voices in today’s
irresponsible and dangerous media climate are the cop haters.
I know from traveling around this state and speaking to more
than a million of you through my morning radio and nightly TV
shows that most people are pro-cop. So why are those voices
not reflected through the media and our politicians? It’s simple:
there’s more money and fame to be made playing on people’s
fears.
I know when I was a new driver, it was the “group think” of
teenage boys to worry about the cops. Avoid the cops. Get away
with driving fast and not getting caught. As I grew up, I realized
that the best way to avoid getting caught was to follow the law
in the first place. Cops are not the negative to be avoided; they
are the positive to be embraced. Hopefully, my wife, Jodi, and
I have done a good enough job with our own kids to put that
idea into practice. My daughter has been a driver for a number
of years — so far, so good. My son gets his permit this year, and
confidence is high!
For me, I watch the viral videos so I can explain the context to
my audience and help push back on cop-haters. I don’t watch
entertainment that has even a hint of making cops the moral
equivalent of the bad guys. And I certainly wouldn’t cast a vote
for any politician who doesn’t recognize the importance of pub-
licly advocating for and protecting those brave men and women
who do the same for us every day of the year. As I’ve said repeat-
edly over the years, there is a thin line between civilization and
savagery...and that line is blue.
Happy New Year to all of you and your families. As long as I
have a microphone, you will have an advocate on the air.
Bill Spadea was honored with the Friend in Media award at the
2016 NJ State PBA Valor Awards. He hosts Chasing News on Fox
TV and is a morning-drive host on NJ 101.5 FM.