Elizabeth PD and FD square off in Battle of the Badges
At March 8’s Second Annual Battle of the Badges, Elizabeth’s finest
took on its bravest in a friendly matchup to support the Children’s
Specialized Hospital in Mountainside in front of a sellout crowd at
the Warinanco Ice Skating Center in Roselle.
Two long periods after Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage
dropped the puck before the start of the game, the cops skated back
on the ice at the start of the third period, down 4-1. But with the support of nearly half the 300 in attendance, the officers rallied from
behind to force sudden death overtime. With less than 30 seconds
into overtime, Elizabeth Police Officer Jorge Joaquim’s goal ensured
a second-straight victory for the police.
“We were down going into the third period and the crowd really
pumped us up and pushed us to victory,” said Police
Officer Joe Pevonis.
Pevonis organized the event on behalf of the police
department along with Dan Bierne of the fire department, with the support of Elizabeth
PBA Local 4, Elizabeth FMBA
Local 9 and Elizabeth IAFF Local
2040.
The two have been friends for
more than 20 years – both
their fathers were members of PBA Local 4 –
and hope this event
continues to instill
the strong friendship
between the two
departments.
“It furthers the
camaraderie and
friendship
between police
and fire and we’re
able to raise some
money while we
do it,” Pevonis said.
Last year’s inau-
gural event
raised
more than
$7,000 for
the Friday
Night Fever
program at
the hospital, which
organizes
monthly
social and recreational activities for teens with disabilities. With
donations and ticket sales still coming in for this year’s event, and
the ice-time donated by the Union County Freeholder’s Association,
the proceeds are on track to reach if not exceed that same mark.
“The sky’s the limit,” said Pevonis about the future of the annual
event. “After the success last year we couldn’t wait for this year and
plans are already in the works for next year.” d
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MARCH 2015
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