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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ AUGUST 2014
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accident.
Although the usual press was malingering outside the
Waldwick Police Department, I immediately noticed the
flag half-mast and the memorial of flowers and photos of
Chris that had begun on the steps. Upon entering the Waldwick Police Department to assist, the first officer I met right
on up to the chief each conveyed a profound sense of loss.
But their sense of family was actually overwhelming.
The Waldwick police officers have wives, husbands, kids
and parents, but they also have another family: their brothers and sisters in blue. And in this lovely town devastated by
the tragic loss of their beloved Chris, their unity and kindness and support was unparalleled. There are no words at
moments of tragedy like this to heal the wounds, but at Cop
2 Cop we try to provide peer support and a “ministry of presence.” Our job is to attend to the grief and psychological
trauma the Waldwick police officers were experiencing,
while our friends and experts in line-of-duty-death family
support, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P
.S.), led by
National President Madeline Neuman, were quickly on the
scene for the family. It is such an honor and privilege to
know that Madeline and her team of line-of duty death survivors, know exactly what to do and say and they compassionately attend to the shock and suffering I can never
imagine living through as an officer’s wife.
Waldwick Police Officer Christopher Goodell was actually a daily hero. The speed limit on the main road in town is
25 miles per hour, and Goodell was known for cracking
down on those who disregarded the signs. Local residents
supported his efforts, and even many of the kids of other
Waldwick cops knew and loved Chris. One would even "buckle up" so Officer Chris would be proud of him.
As I met and spoke with both of Chris's families, Waldwick
Chief Mark Messner, police officers and their wives, and his
parents, sister, fiancée and her family, they seemed united.
Their love for Chris bound them together in a seamless circle
of love and service that reflected his spirit. There is a term
called “Crisis Leadership,” which Chief Messner exemplified
as he rose to the challenge of the loss. His concern, loss and
authenticity reminded me of a good father, a comforter, who
remained alongside his officers and family as they expressed
their grief. At the wake, I was touched watching the Waldwick
Fire and EMS service team members offer their condolences
on the line to Chris’s family, and then, one-by-one, they
stopped to express their sympathy to the chief. The church,
flowers, tributes, and American flag flying high in the sky
amidst the summer breeze created a magnificent memorial
to honor Chris. More than one thousand people gathered at
St. Luke's Church in Ho-Ho-Kus for Chris Goodell's funeral,
a crowd that included hundreds of officers from other police
departments, as well as Gov. Chris Christie.
But Chris was a hero in his own way in this community
long before he was laid to rest. The Waldwick police officers
explained that many of them grew up in Waldwick. They
played football as kids, went from kindergarten through high
school together. They recalled his decision to enter the military, to become a law enforcement officer, how he fell in love
with his fiancée, and remained in that kind of love that other
couples envy. One Waldwick officer’s wife described their love
like “in the movies, like Patrick-Swayze- and-Jennifer Grayromantic, once- in-a-lifetime” love. All of us at Cop 2 Cop
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