20
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MARCH 2014
T H E LO C A L
600
P
A
G
E
For Retired Police
and Corrections
Officers
The benefits of
Local 600
Retired Police & Corrections Officers are eligible to join Local 600,
which is located at the NJ State
PBA office in Woodbridge. Annual
dues are $50 and benefits of
membership include:
• Maintaining dual membership in your current Local
and Local 600
• Five Safety Cards per year
• Access to the “Members
Only” section of the NJSPBA website, which includes
optional benefits such as
financial planning, Aflac
Insurance and information
about dental and vision
insurance plans, life insurance plans and purchasing
memorial property
• Monthly delivery of New Jersey COPS magazine, the official publication of the NJ
State PBA.
• A monthly State PBA Watch
List which updates legislation affecting current and
retired PBA/PFRS
members.
• A list of job openings for
retired officers.
• Survivors Bulletin
• Annual newsletter
A second retirement for Carmen Cerreto
Eight years in the Marine Corps
prepared Carmen Cerreto for a life in
law enforcement; State PBA President Anthony Wieners personally
prepared him for a career as
Belleville Local 28 State Delegate.
But if there was one thing he was not
prepared for, it was retirement. That
is why Cerreto became a founding
member of Local 600. Now, after setting in motion the greatest advocacy
group for retired police officers in
the state, Cerreto is retiring again as
delegate of Local 600. He reflected
on a life of service to his fellow officers and the PBA:
“Eventually, it evolved from
something new and unknown to
something where retired guys
could come to stay in the know.
Guys look to us now and it’s
become a great relationship. I think they
realized that every cop has one thing in
common, and that’s their eventual retirement.”
CARMEN CERRETO
What made you want to be a state delegate?
When I graduated in 1993 and was hired by the Belleville Police Department, my first training
officer was (State PBA President) Tony (Wieners) and he told me that I could either get a voice
in the PBA or stand on the sidelines and say nothing. I chose to get involved. As Tony moved
up the ladder and became vice president of the State PBA, I took over his role as delegate in
Belleville.
What was it like filling his shoes?
I consider Tony to be a big brother to me. He has mentored me in so many ways. As Belleville’s
delegate, I basically represented Tony wherever I went. While many delegates come off their
shifts and come to meetings in their uniforms, I always came in a suit and tie. I made sure I
was a direct reflection of him. If I did something foolish or great, it reflected on Tony.
What