The President’ s Message
Remembering Bobby Smith and matters related to PFRS
Patrick Colligan
‘ Those are my heroes’
Lieutenant Scott Smith, SWAT team deputy commander for the Orlando Police Department, presented a case study on the Pulse nightclub shooting at our convention in September. Scott was asked to do the same presentation at the Chiefs of Police Association on Oct. 2. Until Oct. 1, the Pulse nightclub shooting was the largest mass shooting in U. S history. On the morning of Oct 2., Scott had to change his PowerPoint slide. What an incredibly sad commentary on our society.
I was in the lobby of the Mandalay Bay that night. My room was on the 29th floor. Our group of 12 got separated while we were heading back to our rooms. We had no idea what was happening outside. Here is an excerpt from my Facebook post:
There are thousands of heroes from that night, including thousands of every day citizens. Extraordinary circumstances make average people do extraordinary things. I want to recognize the five or six“ average” cops that were among the first into Mandalay Bay when the carnage started. I saw them at the elevator bank screaming to get up to the 32nd floor. Their handguns were out and the looks on their faces told me that this was no false alarm. They knew what they were going to face. I had no idea at the time. They knew it was going to be a death sentence to engage that monster on the 32nd floor and they were screaming to get up there. Those in law enforcement know what I mean. Average cops. No long guns. No ballistic shields. Likely no advanced SWAT training. A couple wearing reflective traffic vests, not ballistic vests. Probably just running from a“ quiet” Sunday night outside job post in the corner parking lot of a country music concert. They had the simple“ luck” of being posted closest to Mandalay Bay that evening, nothing more. Those are my heroes. A death sentence of extraordinary firepower awaited and those guys literally couldn’ t get there fast enough! I can’ t get them out of my mind.
I posted this on Oct. 3. Now, I have an idea who they were, and now I know that I was correct. The world got to see them on 60 Minutes a week later. Just a few cops who were closest to the Mandalay Bay. Nothing more. One was a SWAT team member. I hope you’ ve seen the body cam footage. They knew they had to get up there to engage the shooter. And they did. As usual, the coward couldn’ t face a real adversary and did what cowards do.
This is bravery that lacks an adjective to adequately describe it. In the wildest training scenarios, you couldn’ t even make that up. And yet they went. And for a few wonderful days, even the liberal media liked law enforcement again. It was great while it lasted.
Finally, our November issue will not come out until after Election Day. Believe me, I hear your questions. I do. One candidate for governor wants to make the 2 percent Arbitration Cap law; wants to force police and fire consolidation; wants to give us our pension with the liabilities; would keep the chair of PERC; would keep the chair of Civil Service; would continue to let the Department of Community Affairs annihilate collective bargaining and the continuation of these insane rule changes. The list goes on, but my space is limited. If sanctuary cities is what you care about most, then close the curtain and pull the lever how you see fit. I’ m not happy about some of the positions either, but this backward slide must stop. We’ ve“ been there, done that” eight years ago and I’ m not interested in repeating history. I can’ t afford it! d
NEW JERSEY STATE POLICEMEN’ S BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD
PATRICK COLLIGAN State President
MARC KOVAR Executive Vice-President
Peter Andreyev 1st Vice-President Henry Werner 2nd Vice-President Michael Pellegrino 3rd Vice-President Mark Aurigemma 4th Vice-President Eugene Dello 5th Vice-President Keith Bennett 6th Vice-President Richard Kott 7th Vice-President Frederick Ludd, Sr. 8th Vice-President Luke Sciallo 9th Vice-President Frank P. Cipully 10th Vice-President John Cernek 11th Vice-President Ed Carattini, Jr. 12th Vice-President
Michael Kaniuk Financial Secretary Margaret Hammond Recording Secretary John Monsees Treasurer
Michael Freeman Trustee Bryan Flammia Trustee Robert Ormezzano Trustee Terrance Benson, Sr. Trustee Rodney Furby Trustee Charles Schwartz Trustee Patrick Moran Trustee
Joseph A. Macones Sergeant-at-Arms Sean Plasket Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Tardio Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Heller Sergeant-at-Arms Keith Curry Sergeant-at-Arms Christopher Ricciotti Sergeant-at-Arms John Granahan Sergeant-at-Arms Andrew Pacucci Sergeant-at-Arms
Joseph Nigro Sergeant-at-Arms
Kelly Polack Sergeant-at-Arms
Glenn Pagano Sergeant-at-Arms
4 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ OCTOBER 2017