NJ Cops | Page 64

To trunk or treat? Trick-or-treating is the highlight of any child’s Halloween, and Berkeley Heights Local 144 members made the experience even more enjoyable with their fourth annual Trunk or Treat for local youth at the police department on Oct. 24. Local 144 members Jeanne Marie Mocarski and Trent Fettes started the event in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy struck, giving community children a safe place to trick-or-treat as they arrived in costume and went trunk-to-trunk collecting candy. The idea took off and the Local has been throwing the event ever Berkeley Heights Sergeant Ernie Schmidt recruits the next SWAT Team member at the Berkeley Heights Local 144 annual Trunk or Treat event. 64 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ NOVEMBER 2015 since. This year, 90 families participated. “We try to make it a family day and so the community can get to know some of the police officers,” stated Berkeley Heights State Delegate Pat Moran. “It shows us in a different light for the day.” Sergeant Ernie Schmidt is also a member of the Union County SWAT Team and brought out the SWAT truck for the day so kids could pose for pictures. Pearly Whites Dentistry and Orthodontics provided all materials and prizes for the Pearly Whites’ Pumpkin Carving Contest. The first-place winner took home a Kindle Fire. All those in attendance, including officers, decorated their vehicles and passed out treats while enjoying apple cider and doughnuts. Children enjoyed activities that included a Halloween parade around the building. d