Out of His Pocket, II

It has happened again, and like the first time, this post is aimed at the cop-haters out there.

Recently we blogged about an officer who, instead of writing a ticket for a child not secured in a car seat, bought the young mother a car seat with his own funds.

Today, from our friends at POLICE magazine we learned of a mother who was caught shoplifting eggs at a Dollar General store in Alabama, this past Saturday.  But instead of arresting her, the responding officer bought the eggs for her.  Out of his pocket.

The woman had her young children in the car.  She told Officer William Stacy that she was only stealing because she was trying to feed her children.  He was confident that she was telling the truth, and so he spoke with Dollar General, which agreed not to prosecute.  Officer Stacy then said to the woman, “If I give you these eggs, will you promise that you won't shoplift anymore?”

He bought the eggs and gave them to her.  And the woman, instead of being saddled with an arrest and potentially resentful of the police, asked if she could give Officer Stacy a hug.

Postscript: We are well aware of the irony in the juxtaposition of our post just below this one, which speaks of better economic times, with this post concerning a young mother who felt the need to resort to stealing to feed her family.  Things may indeed be getting better – we sincerely hope so – but things are not yet as good as they could be.

A Milestone

Today, December 10, we marked a milestone here at the Badge Company of New Jersey:  We have exactly doubled our badge sales of last year.

This is exciting for us, and not just because more sales means more profit.  This dramatic increase is, we hope, an indicator of better economic times overall.  Sure, we would like to say that the increase is due to our great products and the attention to detail that other badge suppliers don't offer, but we truly hope that there is more to it, that it is part of an overall better economy.

Our sales numbers have been increasing each year since the "great recession" hit in 2008, and our 2014 sales are up across all our product lines, not just badges.  We will be going into 2015 with renewed optimism, for ourselves and for all businesses nationwide.

The Uniform and the Cars Have Changed

Here is a neat photo from more than 60 years ago.  Mendham Borough Police Officer Walter Smith – known around town as Smitty – talks baseball with two young lads, identified only as Bobby and Jack, alongside a Chevrolet patrol car circa 1952.  (Click the picture for an enlarged view.)

The location should be familiar to anyone who travels through Mendham with any frequency, as the building in the background still stands, essentially unchanged, on a downtown corner.

Smitty went on to rise through the ranks, attaining the position of Chief in Mendham Borough, from which he retired.  He was a well-liked and well-respected figure in the town.  Today he enjoys retirement in a senior residence not far from his old jurisdiction, and this photograph, along with others and a commemorative badge that we are producing, are being gathered as a tribute to his service.