The presence the trailer continued to create , the support it provided – especially at funerals – and the members who continued to put their all into special services compelled Colligan to want to go bigger and better . “ Part of my thanks to them for the commitment they make to the Special Services unit ,” he stipulates .
The plan to ramp up started with the head so to speak – finding an automobile dealership that would provide the truck to steer the body . Colligan hooked up with Steve Kalafer of Flemington Car & Truck Country , a longtime supporter of law enforcement who not only offered the Ford 250 for three years , but also annual donations to the Survivor & Welfare fund .
Thus , the research to find a company that would manufacture a custom trailer began . The design committee of Colligan , Hulse , Haase and Weimmer identified approximately 50 utility trailer manufacturers , and after thorough review via the internet , Mr . President reported that they all looked the same .
Then , through the Trailer Manufacturers Association – reale e
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The inaugural PBA trailer became a fixture at Ground Zero following the 9-11 attacks . It was parked at the corner of West and Warren streets where it provided supplies to first responders working on the pile and PBA Locals posted their signs of support . t p a t
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1991 poster child for the PBA , and the union ’ s Special Services Committee raised money to help 18-month-old Megan get a heart transplant . Megan eventually received the heart , but died six weeks later due to a rare infection . The Megan Jaret Heart Fund provided the donation for the first trailer , which still has a plaque inside dedicated to Megan .
That first trailer spent weeks at Ground Zero following 9-11 from which Hulse and a contingent of thousands of members from hundreds of Locals served several thousand cups of coffee and provided other support to the law enforcement officers and firefighters working the pile . The trailer became a bit of a landmark at Ground Zero as a hub for signs of support to and from law enforcement , and , in fact , there are some photos at the 9-11 Museum where if you look close enough you can see that trailer .
The Special Services unit also was created to bring a PBA presence with the trailer to funerals for officers lost in the line of duty in New Jersey , New York and several other surrounding states . That service also has become part of the PBA trailer lore .
“ People expect to see it at funerals now ,” asserts Andy Haase , the PBA ’ s Second Vice-President and Teaneck Local 215 State Delegate who has been with the trailer at nearly every one of those funerals and dozens of other events . “ Members see it and they all gravitate to it .”
Haase has almost become synonymous with the trailer . His dedication to start on the road with it to an event as early as 4 a . m . and stay with it until well after sundown is the longstanding special service that also earned him PBA Executive Board Member of the Year in 2014 .
If you don ’ t see Haase with the trailer , then chances are you
see Ed Weimmer , now a retired member who has logged considerable miles in the trailer himself . Weimmer was part of the Ocean County contingent that worked the trailer during Hurricane Sandy where it was a hub for around-the-clock meals for the hundreds of law enforcement officers who came from across the country to assist with the rescue and recovery .
“ It absolutely gets them fired up ,” Weimmer comments about the presence of the trailer at events . “ People come up to us to say ‘ thank you ’ for supporting them at events , and we say , ‘ This is what the PBA does .’ We support the causes .”
Trailer hitched
28 NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2016