NJ Cops | Page 31

NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2014 or about April 1. 31 Keith Bennett will be listed in position No. 2 on the ballot PHOTO BY ED CARATTINI JR. liorate. Alleviate. Cure. First, they are all synonyms or phrases that describe help. Second, they can all be used to describe the way Keith Bennett approaches being a cop, a state delegate, a PBA Executive Board Member, a husband, father, friend, a coach and a member of the Absecon School Board. “I have been instilled with a great sense of helping others since I was a child,” Bennett explains. “One of the parts of being state delegate I really enjoy is helping the men and women who have disciplinary problems. You get to represent them when you get in front of internal affairs and help them work out their problems.” Help Lines In case you have been stuck in traffic on the George Washington Bridge the past few months, let’s take a look at who this guys is running for PFRS Trustee and what you need to know about him when ballots go out on or about April 1. For the record: • Keith is a 21-year veteran of the Atlantic City Police • • • Department who has worked patrol on The Boardwalk, worked in the detective bureau, worked narcotics and worked gun and drug reduction. He has served as Local 24 State Delegate for the past seven years, and helped the Local manage through losing 60 officers to layoffs in 2010 then negotiating to get many of those officers back on the job. Bennett inherited the State Delegate position from the widely popular Frank Calabrese, who served for 18 years. “Frank taught me how to help people on the job,” Bennett notes. Keith may trail only Passaic Local 14 State Delegate Marc Kovar in the number of NJ State PBA committees served. He has worked on the Legal Protection Plan, ByLaws, Valor Awards, Scholarships, Civil Service and Peer Liaison committees. “This has enabled me to meet so many members and learn so much about their own situations and job duties,” he points out. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32