Berkeley Heights and Mountainside Departments Participate in National Police Week

Each year on Memorial Day, America honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, particularly those who had lost their lives in the call of duty.

While the armed forces protect Americans on the national level, equally important are those men and women who protect communities on the local level.

National Police Week, which is held each year on Mother’s Day weekend in May, honors law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty the previous year, and provides support to families left to deal with the struggles of a loss.

“The benefit for the family is foremost — getting them through that period and letting them know that their loved one has not been forgotten,” said Lt. Allan Attanasio of the Mountainside Police. “It also helps the coworkers of the individual get some closure.”

As part of National Police Week, the names of 152 law enforcement officers killed in 2010, as well as 164 others who died in prior years, were formally dedicated by including their names on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., on May 13, during the 23rd Annual Candlelight Vigil.

Attanasio, who has been attending National Police Week for nine years, joins motorcycle officers from all over the country to provide escorts for families arriving for the week’s events.

Attanasio said the importance of the events in Washington hits home for the Mountainside Police Department. Police Chief James J. Debbie whose wife’s father was a New Jersey State Trooper, was killed in a Jeep accident and officer Thomas Norton had a great uncle on the Elizabeth Police Department killed in the line of duty. Attanasio also said he knows two officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice whose names are on the memorial.

“Unfortunately I know some people on that wall,” he said.

Sargent Frank Fortunato of the Berkeley Heights Police Department said the department typically sends at least one officer to the ceremonies. Detective Mark Stallone rides with what is known as the Police Unity Bike Tour, a group of officers who depart from Florham Park by bicycle and ride to the ceremonies in Washington DC.

In addition to Detective Stallone’s participation, Berkeley Heights holds a memorial service at the Little Flower Church in early May that commemorates all officers and individuals who have served and passed with the Berkeley Heights Police Department, Rescue Squad and Fire Department.

“That is our kickoff of the remembrance,” Fortunato said.

Aside from the ceremony memorializing officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice, activities in Washington include classes for spouses and surviving children to help them through a grieving period, a Memorial service on the Capitol lawn and a trip to the National FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, for children of the fallen, called COP’S Kids.

“It’s a commemorative time and a chance to meet others from around the country and share experiences,” Fortunato said.

Fortunato said Berkeley Heights has been fortunate not to have lost officers in the line of duty but recognizes the week for its role in remembering those who lost their lives.