NJ Cops | Page 57

Colts Neck High School seniors and ROTC cadets Luke Lallo and Justin Hanewald display their senior art project, a Blue Lives Matter flag to show support for law enforcement officers across the country.

Creative Courage

Two Colts Neck High School seniors paint a message of support for law enforcement

■ BY JENNIFER TRATTLER

When NJ State PBA President Patrick Colligan received a phone call from Colts Neck High School senior Justin Hanewald, he knew he stumbled on an act of kindness that could imbue law enforcement officers with the positivity and energy they need to do their job in today’ s anti-law enforcement climate.

Hanewald reached out to the State PBA to donate a Blue Lives Matter flag that both he and his friend Justin Lallo painted during art class.

“ He and his friend decided to do something to honor cops,” recognized State PBA President Colligan.“ It proves my point that I have said over and over: Overall, people appreciate what we do and why we do it. It’ s the vocal minority that tries to make us look bad.”

For Hanewald, the anti-law enforcement rhetoric that inundates social media conversation and national media coverage is personal. His father Edward Hanewald has been a member of the Union County Prosecutor’ s Office Local 250 for 23 years, and is the lead drill instructor at Union County Police Academy.

“ With everything going on in the world today that is negative about police officers, you don’ t really hear the good stories about what they do,” related 18-year-old Hanewald.“ So I wanted to do something nice.”

Hanewald and Lallo teamed up – the way they always do – in their art class, and found a way to express a message of support. The two painted an American flag on a pallet that currently sits on Hanewald’ s front lawn before creating a Thin Blue Line flag on a three-foot by twofoot canvas that resides in Hanewald’ s father’ s office at the Union

County Police Academy.

“ My dad loves it,” proclaimed Hanewald, who then wanted to do even more to appreciate all law enforcement officers.

Colts Neck High School art teacher Audrey Lipkind encouraged her students to think bigger and suggested painting a seven-foot by three-foot Masonite panel.

“ As a teacher you want your kids to be interested in whatever they’ re doing,” conveyed Lipkind who has been teaching for 20 years.“ This is something that meant a lot to them, so I was happy to help with whatever they needed.

Colts Neck High School senior Luke Lallo puts the finishing touches on the Blue Lives Matter flag’ s stars.

Aside from asking‘ What do you think of this?’ or‘ How does this look?’ it was 99.99-percent( their vision).”

Hanewald did some research, pulled up photographs of Blue Lives Matter flags for inspiration and enlisted the help of his buddy, whom he describes as the“ artistic” one.

For two months, the duo worked on the project. They painted the board black, measured and taped off 13 stripes( meticulously crafting

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www. njcopsmagazine. com ■ JUNE 2016 57