That Answers That Question

Last Fall, the police in an upscale Bergen County town disrupted a noisy underage drinking party.

Responding to neighbor complaints, police arrived at the location and immediately occupants began to run from the house and shout to others that the cops had arrived. Police estimated that upwards of 50 young persons had attended the party and that a very large number of empty beer cans were found inside the house.

The back yard was also littered with beer cans and a "beer pong" table was set up on the patio. In the basement, the police found a cluster of juveniles who said that they did not know where the homeowner was.

Police found a locked bathroom door and demanded that it be opened. The door was opened and an 18-year-old female stepped out and admitted that she lived in the house. Her 22-year-old sister was found inside the bathroom.

It is at this point that disapproving persons begin to ask, "Where are the parents?" Well, police pulled back the shower curtain and found the girls’ 51-year-old mother crouched in the corner.

The mother and her daughters were given a court date.

Joseph Kilmurray

Here’s a great photo of a great cop. It’s Teaneck Officer Joseph Kilmurray 50 years ago, in 1961, at the door of a Plymouth patrol car.

Joseph Kilmurray died this past Saturday at the age of 88.

Kilmurray joined the Teaneck Police Department in 1949 and retired as chief in 1981. That’s a career of more than 30 years, in a single town.

He joined his hometown department before we were born, and retired after we graduated Teaneck’s Fairleigh Dickinson University.

His service to Teaneck was perhaps in his genes. His uncle, T.J. Kilmurray, was an original member of the Teaneck Police Department nearly 100 years ago.

Joseph Kilmurray was also a member of what newsman Tom Brokaw dubbed "the Greatest Generation." He was on board the cruiser USS San Francisco in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. His ship not damaged in the bombing, and he stayed aboard the ship for three years, taking part in the Battle of Guadalcanal and other major naval engagements in the Pacific. He was later promoted to chief of the destroyer USS Stevens.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years. His marriage and his service are testaments to his character.

Commemorating September 11

This year will mark the tenth anniversary.

Smith & Warren, the badge manufacturer that can trace its roots back to 1925, is offering a special 9/11 commemorative. It is a ten-year anniversary Commendation Bar, available in an underlying gold or silver finish, incorporating the design of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center towers to spell out simply, 2011 and Never Forget. These pins are 1-3/8" x 3/8" in size.

Similarly, V.H. Blackinton, the badge manufacturer founded in 1852, yes, 1852, has created two new 9/11 Challenge Coin designs that commemorate the tragic events of September 11, and pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of everyone involved on this singular day.

As a factory-direct distributor for both Smith & Warren and V.H. Blackinton we are pleased to offer these special commemorative keepsakes.

Smith & Warren will be donating a portion of the sale proceeds to the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund, and Blackinton will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the September 11th Widows and Victims Families' Association, Inc.

Blackinton is also offering a custom 9/11 commemorative badge that can be engraved as you choose, shown below. For this or any of these commemorative products, contact the Badge Company of New Jersey for ordering information.
Incidentally, one of the two coin designs includes a representation of the famous firefighter photo taken by New Jersey’s Tom Franklin and documented previously on this blog. Click the "9/11" in the blog labels column to the right and then scroll down to read the fascinating story of this photo.

Religious Wars?

Recent news item:

A northern New Jersey pastor accused of stabbing another preacher has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a weapon.

A minister stabbing another minister?

As it turns out, this appears to be a crime of passion – plain old secular passion.

It was reported that the stabber, a man, and the stabbee, a woman, had been, as the saying goes, in a relationship. Further, it was reported that he is married.

No word on the specific teachings of their respective churches, but it would seem likely that they include some form of Thou Shall Not Fool Around on the Side, not to mention Thou Shall Not Stab.

New QuickShip Badge

In additional to offering nearly 200 of our own public safety badge styles, the Badge Company of New Jersey is a factory-direct distributor for four other badge manufacturers, allowing us to offer more badges that any other source. That’s why we say, "We’ve Got Your Badge."

As noted in an earlier post, one of those manufacturers V.H. Blackinton, founded in 1852. The badge shown in the photo is Blackinton’s model #B736, and it is one of the more popular styles offered.

It is, however, what is known in the industry as an "applied panel" badge, meaning that the individual engraved panels of text are added to the underlying badge shape during the manufacturing process. As a result, it is a labor-intensive badge to make, and it takes time.

Blackinton has now developed an all-new version of this badge and added it to their "QuickShip" program. The QuickShip program includes 15 distinct badge styles that can be shipped from the factory in as little as five business days after receipt of the order.

The new badge has the engravable panels as part of the overall badge die, enabling it to be part of the QuickShip program. It is otherwise identical to the popular #B736.

The new badge is designated as model #B3320, and it is available right now. The Badge Company of New Jersey is ready to assist you with your orders for this or any other Blackinton badge.

Wrong About That

Back in 2009 we blogged about road rage, and how that being encased in an automobile appears to embolden people toward venting anger in ways that walking does not.

We referenced humorist George Carlin’s description of how drivers tend to refer to someone who drives slower than themselves as an idiot, and someone who drives faster than themselves as a maniac. We concluded that there is no such thing as "sidewalk rage," noting that if you encounter someone on the sidewalk who is walking either slower or faster than you, you don’t give it a second thought.

Wrong, apparently.

In today’s Wall Street Journal appears an item headlined Get Out of My Way, You Jerk!, in which researchers say the concept of "sidewalk rage" is real. The article includes the information that on Facebook there is a group called "I Secretly Want to Punch Slow Walking People in the Back of the Head," a group which boasts nearly 15,000 members.

The article goes on to report many of the researchers’ findings, including how fast tourists walk as compared to local residents, how talking on one’s cell phone affects one’s pace, and even the psychology that causes people to believe that they are the ones "walking correctly."

Still, one key difference appears to be that those who experience "sidewalk rage" often internalize it, getting angry and upset but not venting as motorists so often do. However, it appears possible that some candidates for the Facebook group may eventually replace their secret desire to punch fellow pedestrians with an overt action.

We hope that we’re wrong about that, too. But if we are not, our message from the earlier posting remains true: It can’t be hard to think "excuse me" instead of "moron!"

Photo by Ed O'Keeffe

Self-Fulfilling

Recently, a Jersey City police officer suffered a severe concussion after being struck by a drunk driver.

The officer and his partner were responding to a burglar alarm when a passing car struck the officer as he walked around his patrol car.

The driver then sped away, running a red light in the process, until police later spotted the car and apprehended the driver.

A driver whose given first name proved to be "Tequila."

Parents, when you name your child "Tequila," you are pretty much defining that child’s destiny.

This is not to suggest that naming your child "Einstein" will necessarily lead to a Nobel Prize, but what goals are you setting with a name like "Tequila?"

A Breathalyzer test revealed that Tequila’s blood alcohol level was .13, significantly greater than the legal limit of .08.

Tequila's 7-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car. The name of the child has not been reported, but "Margarita" would be an improvement.