The Governor

On Wednesday, during the 93rd annual conference of the New Jersey League of Municipalities in Atlantic City, an older gentleman stepped around the corner and stopped in front of the Badge Company's display. I'm Brendan Byrne, he said.

We've heard of you, we replied. You've been in the news from time to time.

We recognized him even before he introduced himself, but we were struck by the moment: It was not a surprise to see Byrne attending this conference, but it was a surprise to see him simply touring the exhibits without fanfare. The former governor was alone. We were surprised by how he could so easily walk the aisles and stop to talk. We would have expected Byrne to be unable to avoid interruptions and unable to shake hangers-on.

This is not to say that Byrne is no longer relevant. He was at the conference to participate on a panel of former New Jersey governors, a panel which discussed the performance of the current governor, Jon Corzine. The panel was comprised in a manner that gave Byrne some distinction, as he was the only member of the group to be elected and re-elected. Fellow Democrat Jim Florio sat alongside Bryne, but Florio served only one term after failing to win re-election. The Republicans were represented by John O. Bennett and Donald DiFrancesco, both of whom served as governor but neither of whom was elected to the position. Whether by design or by happenstance, no other former governors, not Republicans Tom Kean and Christie Whitman, nor Democrat Richard Codey, were on the panel. It is not likely that Jim McGreevey was considered for participation.

We spoke briefly with Byrne, answering his questions and telling him how we are regular readers of the column in the Star-Ledger where he and Kean debate current topics. He then thanked us and moved on. A surprisingly low-key encounter with a man whose influence on New Jersey was significant and lasting.

The Flying Fuzz

Lawrence C. Michaels was a career law enforcement officer in southeastern Pennsylvania, who rose through the ranks to become Chief of his department, and who later was elected and re-elected to the position of County Sheriff. But he led a double life. Away from the job, Larry Michaels was a championship-winning race car driver who was given the nickname, The Flying Fuzz.

Now, we're not talking about NASCAR or Indy. But we are talking about the same race cars driven by the likes of Mario Andretti and Ray Evernham early in their careers. The cars are known as TQ Midgets, and from the 1960s into the 1990s Larry Michaels was one of the top dogs in what was then a very competitive form of racing.

The number of individual race victories recorded by Michaels is not documented, but he did earn the season-long series championship in the mid-1970s, driving a car that he built and maintained himself. In fact, as modern racing began to move away from home-built cars to manufactured ones, Michaels chose to continue to do it his way. That was the challenge he preferred.

Unfortunately, when the night of the championship awards banquet arrived in the year that Michaels won his championship, he was unable to attend due to a multiple homicide in his jurisdiction. Racing was his passion, and he rarely missed a scheduled event, but the job came first. Many of the speedways at which Michaels raced and won are now gone, victims of rising real estate values. Pine Brook Speedway in New Jersey. Freeport Municipal Stadium and Islip Speedway in New York. Dorney Park Speedway in Pennsylvania. Riverside Park Speedway in Massachusetts.

Sadly, Michaels is gone, too. It was our pleasure and privilege to count Larry Michaels as a friend for 30 years. He was respected, admired, and loved in both the law enforcement and racing communities. At his passing, a long line of mourners extended around the funeral home and along the street as cops and racers alike came to pay their respects to The Flying Fuzz.

What Do YOU Call It?

Individual police officers may have their own names for it, but growing up in New Jersey, we only knew two names for the night before Halloween: “Cabbage Night” and “Mischief Night.” In adulthood we learned that there are many, many more names, most of them tied to geographic regions, and that the practice of using this night for acts of minor vandalism extends back at least to the 19th century in the United Kingdom.

“Goosey Night” is a name used in the northeast, and “Devil’s Night” is heard in Michigan. “Tick-Tack Night” is used only around the Trenton, New Jersey, area – and in Yorkshire, England. In fact, the UK appears to be where the whole thing started. Beggar's Night, Doorbell Night, there are many more.

As an adolescent years ago, one October 30 we were enjoying a tour of the neighborhood with some friends – purely as an academic study, of course – when a patrol car rolled up and an officer jumped out to demand to know what we were doing. “Nothing” was probably the reply, but the cans of Silly String in our hands indicated otherwise.

Silly String was a brand-new product at the time, and the officer had never seen it previously. We demonstrated it to the him, and he took it back to the patrol car to show it to his partner. The two officers had as much fun with it as we did, shooting the Silly String around and laughing. Remarkably, they did not confiscate it, they gave it back to us. They must have concluded that we could have doing things much worse than decorating neighbors’ yards with Silly String.

In recent years there have been devastating October 30 fires in cities such as Camden and Detroit, so a little toilet paper in the trees or Silly String on the porch seems almost quaint. Like the name “Cabbage Night.”

What if she had refused to watch Titanic?

Many cops will tell you that one of the most volatile and risky situations is that of domestic violence. Now, on the face of it an argument between spouses or lovers may not seem to rank up there with armed robbery on the danger scale, but the fact is that these situations often play out in very close quarters, usually with emotionally-charged participants, and sometimes with armed combatants. For these reasons police officers approach domestic situations with great care. They never know what they will encounter.

And so it was when police in a New Jersey community responded to a domestic call in the summer of 2008. The police approached with caution.

At the scene, a woman told the officers that when she refused to watch the movie Gladiator, her boyfriend threatened and assaulted her. When the woman tried to leave, the man pushed her onto a bed and forced her...

... to watch more of the film.

She continued to allege that he stood in the doorway, prevented her from leaving, smashed two free weights together in front of her, screamed at her, threatened to kill her, and spat in her face.
Police charged the man with simple assault, criminal restraint, and terroristic threats.

Visit us at NJLM Conference Nov. 18-20 in Atlantic City, NJ

Come meet The Badge Company of New Jersey in Atlantic City during the 93rd annual conference of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, taking place in the Atlantic City Convention Center on November 18-19-20. We'll be exhibiting in booth 240 on the show floor, where we'll have sample of our products on hand, plus catalogs and brochures covering not only our products but also the products of our manufacturing partners.

At this event we'll be showcasing much, much more than police badges. In addition to our law enforcement products we offer a broad range of products applicable to municipal needs. When you pinned that plastic beach badge on your bathing suit this past summer, it may have come from The Badge Company of New Jersey. That ID holder carried by the DPW worker may have come from The Badge Company of New Jersey. That safety vest worn by the school crossing guard may have come from The Badge Company of New Jersey. That blue light in the volunteer firefighter's vehicle may have come from The Badge Company of New Jersey.

So come check us out! Complete conference and exhibit information is available on the NJLM web site, http://www.njslom.org/ .

Giving new meaning to "Cop Car"

Carbon Motors Corporation is a newly-created entity that is designing a purpose-built police car, not a modified regular production car. Where we are presently accustomed to seeing the Ford Crown Victoria, the Dodge Magnum, or the Chevy Impala, Carbon Motors wants us to see the Carbon Motors E7.

On the surface the vehicle does not look dramatically different from current police cars, but it incorporates a number of innovative features and notably, a diesel engine. If your immediate reaction is to think that diesels are slow, perhaps you need to be reminded that in recent years diesel-powered race cars have won the 24 Hours of Lemans endurance race. The Ford Crown Victoria is a older design, and both the Dodge Magnum and the Chevy Impala have their limitations in police use.

SUVs have been used by many departments, but these vehicles also have their limitations. Carbon Motors has made a big promotional effort and has a dramatic web site, but it remains to be seen whether the company will be able to bring their vehicle to a police agency near you. You can see the prototype E7 at http://www.carbonmotors.com/

Who Let The Dogs In?

Puppies Behind Bars is a remarkable program taking place at a seven correctional facilities throughout the region, including the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women right here in The Badge Company's hometown.

If you travel Interstate Route 78 in New Jersey, you've seen the Edna Mahan facility, located alongside the eastbound lanes of the highway in bucolic Hunterdon County, just west of Exit 15. We are pleased to have been serving the facility's badge and insignia needs for more than 20 years.

Puppies Behind Bars trains inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled
and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. In addition, the organization's Dog Tags program specifically focuses on providing service dogs to wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you are not familiar with the terms, Service Dogs are responsible for aiding handicapped people with everyday routines such as getting dressed, turning on lights, and so on. Explosive Detection Canines are responsible for seeking out explosives and alerting their handlers when they have recognized an explosive scent.

You can see some demonstrations of these skills in the Puppies Behind Bars Story video that is available on the organization's web site, http://www.puppiesbehindbars.com. On the web site you can learn a great deal more about the entire program. We recommend that you take the time to check it out.