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Valo
DS
AWAR
The job in retrospect
Newly retired Trenton officers look back
on a career in the books
Sitting in the ballroom at Caesars surrounded by family, friends
and fellow awardees, Trenton Local 11 member Robert Albanowski
considered how close he came to missing the entire evening.
“I just found out about getting this award yesterday,” acknowledged Albanowski. “It was just miscommunication. The union
thought they sent it to my house; the department thought they sent
it to my house. But I retired on Nov. 1, so they put it in my mailbox
and they held it.”
Albanowski’s retirement came following the award-winning incident that occurred on Nov. 13, 2014, when he and fellow Trenton
Officer Marlon Parrott were dispatched to a report of a man with a
gun. As the officers proceeded to the scene, dispatch updated them
that the armed intruder had entered a home with a handgun and
threatened to kill the residents.
Prior to their arrival, the gunman exited the residence chasing the
homeowner with a gun. Albanowski and Parrott encountered the
gunman, but before they were able to exit their vehicle, he opened
fire. The gunman struck the police vehicle in the windshield, shattering glass that rained down on the officers. Albanowski and Parrott
exited the car as bullets flew past them, returned fire and eliminated
the threat.
If this story sounds familiar, it’s because Albanowski and Parrott
were previously honored at NAPO’s Top Cops Awards during Police
Week in Washington D.C. this past May.
Yet as he received the PBA’s Gold Medal of Valor on behalf of himself and Parrott, who could not attend the ceremony, there was
something unique about being among fellow members.
“It’s really an honor now that I’ve retired,” Albanowski admitted.
“I spent 20-something years with the city (of Trenton), and it’s nice
to see everyone again. It’s kind of like my last hurrah – it’s like my
retirement dinner. It’s really nice to go out this way.”
In addition to the “little scar” on his face and cuts on his hands
from the shattered windshield and the “little bit” of hearing loss in
his right ear from the gunshots he fired at the suspect – battle
wounds that will serve as a testament to a dangerous career well
done – Albanowski expounded on his reason to retire.
“It’s a young guy’s game,” he professed. “I’m pushing 50 in a
couple years. It’s young to retire at 47, but it’s time. It’s more a relief
that I made it to the finish line. Some guys get forced out through a
back door or the administration tries to get rid of them, so it’s good
to go out with your head held high. (Parrott and I) can look in the
mirror and just say, “Hey, we both did 20-something years in the city;
both went to Trenton High School and tried to change stuff. We did
good for the city and the city did good for us, but it’s time to move on
and not have to worry about going back to change stuff. We did the
best we could but it’s time for the younger guys to have their 20something years.” d
GOLD MEDAL OF VALOR
OFFICER ROBERT ALBANOWSKI
OFFICER MARLON PARROTT
TRENTON LOCAL 11
www.njcopsmagazine.com
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DECEMBER 2015
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