If
you were to erect an ancestral tree of New Jersey law enforcement and
trace back the roots of everyone on the job today, you would
discover a statistical irregularity unexplainable unless you lived or
worked near the eastern side of Ocean County, New Jersey.
And
if you continued to follow the lines of these officers, they would take
you back to patch of land miles and years away from where the officers
work today, a place less than a square mile in size.
They
would take you back to Seaside Heights.
Most
people know Seaside Heights, New Jersey from either grand summer
memories or from the television show that follows an assemblage of
New Jersey-area youth throughout their alcohol fueled adventures.
But
Seaside Heights is also known for having a police department responsible
for launching hundreds and hundreds of law enforcement careers over the
past half century.
In
the winter months Seaside operates with between twenty and twenty-five
officers.
But
as the weather warms they will put on as many as seventy Class I and
Class II special police officers for the summer months. And when the end of August
hits, this small army evaporates away as it has every year for decades.
This amount of officers is necessary as their normal population of about
3,000 balloons to more than 60,000 in the summer months.
While the bars and the players and even the officers have changed over
the years, having spent a summer in Seaside qualifies one for immediate
membership in this fraternity. Some return, some don't, but they all
remain forever united by a white patch bearing Roman Numeral 1 or 2
which they proudly wore on their shoulder for a few summer months.
Memories range from breaking up fights at the Chatterbox Bar or Baby O's
on the Boulevard to taking back the boardwalk during the blackouts of
89' or 91' to managing throngs of curious fans trying to inject
themselves into the next episode of Jersey Shore.
The
experience a young officer could get here has always been like no other.
A rookie could see more in one busy summer week in Seaside Heights than
he or she could in a year in most other towns. By summer's end,
your average Seaside cop knows the Disorderly Conduct statute as well as
he or she knows the Pledge of Allegiance.
Today, Seaside Heights Police alumni can be found in local departments
from East Rutherford to Dumont to Freehold Borough to the Windsors. They
can be found throughout the ranks of the State Police and in Federal
Agencies ranging from the Air Marshals to the FBI to the Secret Service
to the DEA. And around the country they occupy positions in agencies
including NYPD, Philadelphia PD, and even Birmingham, Alabama.
In
April of this year the Seaside Heights Police Department is holding
their First Annual Seaside Heights Police Department Alumni Banquet
titled, "The Starting Point of Excellence." It is actually the
second time a reunion has been held but this will be the first of a
yearly tradition.
NJLawman.com spoke with Seaside Heights PBA President Cristino Rentas.
"I
want to pack this restaurant to the point where management would even
consider closing down to their regular customers."
Detective Rentas is a proud member of this fraternity of special
officers. He began his career as a special on the boardwalk back in
1989.
Rentas is organizing this event with PBA Delegate Kevin Shouldis and
their brethren and are reaching
out far and wide to officers who started in Seaside.
Whether you continued on into law enforcement or took a different
direction, they would love to see you. Also, we'd love to hear
some comments about your experiences in Seaside. Leave them in the
comment box below.
Below we've provided information for this event or
click here for the flyer:
