Union City Local 8 unveils the Police
Memorial Park in honor of fallen officers
n PHOTOS BY JOE BOTTI
Children played in the bouncy house and ran around the red,
white and blue balloons adorning the newly planted trees, residents peered through the fence hoping to catch a glimpse of the
playground equipment and memorial walls and law enforcement officers lined the streets of 11th and West in anticipation
of Union City Local 8’s unveiling of the Police Memorial Park on
May 5.
A year ago, Union City Local 8 State Delegate Chris Scardino
approached Chief Richard Molinari with the idea of renaming
the park in town that was dedicated to Union City Detective
Nicholas Guirado, who lost his life in the line of duty in 1974.
With the Chief’s support and the backing of Union City Mayor
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ MAY 2016
Brian Stack, Scardino set out on a project not just to rename
the park but rebuild it to memorialize the six Union City officers
who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
“I’m honored and proud of the way everything came out,” acknowledged Scardino. “Families of fallen officers came from as
far as Dallas, and when they saw me, they gave me a hug and
kiss started to cry. This is all about supporting the fallen heroes
and their families; that’s the most important thing.”
The families of the fallen officers in attendance – so touched
that the Local continues to remember those who died in the line
of duty – spent the evening wiping away tears of joy after seeing
the unveiling.
“I’m very honored to be here,” stated Martin Behr, the grandnephew of Sergeant James Knight who died in the line of duty in
1931. “It’s great that we have something like this for the people