A message from Local 600
State Delegate Jim Toma
JIM
TOMA
Discipline, integrity, responsibility, a sense of
service and commitment, the ability to work effectively in teams or individually, the ability to problem
solve and experience in dealing with difficult situations – these are some of the traits that military veterans bring with them when they return to civilian
life. What more-natural transition could there be
than bringing those skills and experiences into law
enforcement work?
From the time I was young, growing up in a law
enforcement family, I was made aware of the connection between
military and police work. I had eight uncles – four brothers of each of
my parents – who served in World War II. Several of them, and their
children, went into law enforcement.
My dad served in the Marine Corps during Korea and went into the
Newark Police Department soon after. These were the cops many of
us knew as kids – crew cuts, tough as nails, kick-you-in-the-butt-for-
“Vets like Bobby Clark, Billy Duffy and
Tony DellaSerra – guys I admired and
tried to learn from. They were young and
a few years out of the military; happy to
be out but proud of their service, even
though many in this country took a while
longer to appreciate them.”
hanging-out-types who we were afraid of, but admired.
Then the 1960s and 1970s came and a different type of veteran
emerged – longer hair, cooler music, much cooler clothes, still with
an inner toughness and determination, but more willing to challenge
and question the rigidity of the past. They brought this spirit and
flamboyance to law enforcement and pioneered undercover work
and infiltration into criminal enterprises. Rather than working from
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