TRIBUTE: A funeral service is scheduled Sunday morning for a popular flight paramedic from Leonia was killed last week in a medical helicopter crash in New Mexico.

The body of 29-year-old Rebecca Serkey was expected to arrive at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at Newark Airport.

A motorcade was headed there from Eden Memorial Chapel, where the service is set for 9:30 a.m. Sunday (327 Main Street, Fort Lee).

Serkey was one of three people killed when the chopper crashed overnight into a hillside in the town of Newkirk, about 135 miles east of Albuquerque.

The helicopter was flying from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe to Tucumcari, authorities there said.

“She was a tremendous asset to every department that she worked for and has touched so many lives!” wrote the Ridgefield Volunteer Ambulance Corps, one of many she worked for in her career. “She will be truly missed!”

Serkey and fellow members of her TriState CareFlight crew, based in Arizona, were well known in the area.

“These crew members were our colleagues, our friends and our neighbors,” the hospital said in statement. “Our hearts, and our prayers, go out to the loved ones of these extraordinary individuals, who were committed to saving lives every single day.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

Serkey, a nationally certified paramedic who began her career in Bergen County, joined the CareFlight team in July 2012.

She previously worked for Saint Clare’s Health System in Dover, Denville, Boonton, Sussex and Hacketstown, as a lab instructor at Rockland Community College in Suffern and as a paramedic with UMDNJ in Newark and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck.

A self-described “adrenaline junkie,” the Illinois-born Serkey studied police science at John Jay College in Manhattan and was an active SCUBA diver.

“I love my jobs and my volunteering I wouldn’t give it up,” she once said. “I work ridiculous hours sometimes, but people do not wait until 9 AM to get sick or hurt.”

A former pool lifeguard and camp counselor, Serkey also was an EMT with Fort Lee for eight years, with Holy Name for four years and with Ridgefield for a year.

Serkey was corps secretary, training officer, crew chief and driver for the Leonia Volunteer Ambulance Corps from May 2003 to September 2007 and a probationary firefighter with the Leonia Volunteer Fire Department from March 2006 through December 2007.

She also was driver and EMT crew chief with the Palisades Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps from April 2005 to November 2006.

Serkey played varsity soccer and ran track at Leonia High School and was in the band, playing two different saxophones in five ensembles all four years. Serkey also was president of the Rod and Reel Club, a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society and the service club.

SHOUT OUTS: Four new Lyndhurst police officers began training at the Bergen County police academy today, joining a fifth who graduated and began patrol duties after all were sworn in last week.

Officer Nicholas Abruscato eventually will be joined in field training by Probationary Officers Joseph White, Nolan James, Michael Giangeruso and Matthew Giunta, who are all expected to be graduated on Dec. 19.

“The addition of these officers is an asset to both the department and the citizens of Lyndhurst,” Police Chief James O’Connor said.

All were sworn last Tuesday in the township park on Delafield Avenue.

They range from 23 to 33 years old, O’Connor said.

Four are lifelong Lyndhurst residents. The fifth, James, if a former New Jersey state corrections officer.

(l. to r.) Nicholas Abruscato, Joseph White, Nolan James, Michael Giangeruso, Matthew Giunta with Lyndhurst Mayor Rober B. Giangeruso

NICHOLAS ABRUSCATO, 23

• Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice (New Jersey City University);
• Masters Degree in National Security (NJCU);
• Police Training Commission (PTC) Certified

JOSEPH WHITE, 25

• Member of the Lyndhurst Police Auxiliary;
• Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice (Montclair State University);
• Has been working for the Police Department performing various traffic maintenance and control assignments, as well as having managed the departments fleet of vehicles.

NOLAN JAMES, 33

• Former NJ State Corrections Officer (with several Letters of Exceptional Duty);
• Attended University of New Haven;
• Certified to teach in New Jersey;

MICHAEL GIANGERUSO, 27

• Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Bergen Community College;
• Pursuing a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Montclair State University

MATTHEW GIUNTA, 24

Pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice.

SHOUT OUT: Registration is open for Wallington’s Junior Police Camp, which starts up in a few weeks.

The week-long academy — for students entering the 5th, 6th and 7th grades — runs from Monday, Aug. 18, to graduation on Friday, Aug. 22.

The goal, local police say, is to “promote an environment that provides students the opportunity to learn the basic principal of respect, discipline and teamwork.”

Sessions run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

Children then report at 4 p.m. for Friday’s 5:30 graduation at the Civic Center.

COST:

$50 (one child)
$75 (two children)
$100 (three children)

CHECKS payable: Borough of Wallington Police Camp

APPLICATION and PAYMENT can be dropped of at the Borough Clerk’s Office.

CLICK HERE for the APPLICATION

TRIBUTE: Lawmakers today introduced legislation in Trenton to create the Christopher Goodell Memorial Highway along State Route 17 in Waldwick in memory of the fallen hero.

“The profound sadness shared by people all across District 40 has not mitigated since this senseless tragedy, since we all lost a true local hero and his family lost their beloved son,” said state Sen. Kevin O’Toole, one of the co-sponsors.

Waldwick Police Officer Christopher Goodell

“This act can instill the lasting honor that Christopher deserves in memory of his selfless service and sacrifices for us all,” he said.

Goodell was working a radar detail in his unmarked cruiser, parked on the shoulder of southbound Route 17, when it was struck by an 18-wheeler driven by a Brooklyn trucker the morning of July 17.

The impact instantly killed him, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

The trucker responsible remained free today on $25,000 bail, charged with vehicular homicide.

Goodell, 32, joined the U.S. Marine Corps after being graduated from Waldwick High School in 2000. He served with the Waldwick Police Department for five years and was recently honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s New Jersey chapter for outstanding efforts in drunk driving enforcement.

Survived by his parents and fiancee, Goodell was “an outstanding and proactive officer,” Waldwick Police Chief Mark Messner said.

“Words cannot describe the remorse everyone feels over the tragic loss of Officer Goodell,” said Assemblymen David Russo, another co-sponsor. “He was the epitome of selfless public service. Commemorating his name is one way no one will ever forget the honor with which he served.”

“Officer Goodell’s life was marked by service,” added co-sponsor Scott Rumana.

“Whether putting himself in harm’s way in the military or serving as a police officer, his life was dedicated to protecting others,” Rumana said. “His dedication to keeping us safe will never be forgotten as we fittingly pay tribute to a fallen hero.”

SHOUT OUT: The Fair Lawn Junior Police Academy was held July 21-25 for 45 junior recruits.

During the week, the junior recruits learned team building and discipline skills while seeing demonstrations from the Bergen County Police K-9 and SWAT units and Fair Lawn’s Fire Department, Rescue Squad and Ambulance Corps.

They also visited the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack and the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah.

PHOTOS: Courtesy FAIR LAWN PD

SHOUT OUT: It was a warm but comfortable evening for the 31st annual National Night Out Against Crime throughout Bergen County.

In Maywood, Special Police Capt. K. Sinfield, Sgt. B. Lopez and Officer R. Rodriguez handled children’s fingerprinting.

Fire Official Tom Tuttle distributed smoke detectors.

Classic cars were on display, as was Hackensack University Medical Center’s AirMed One medical chopper.

Youngsters had plenty of games, food and refreshments, as citizens got to better know their emergency responders and others in town.

Among those attending were the Maywood Eagle Scouts, Maywood Girls Scouts and the Maywood Historical Society.

CLIFFVIEW PILOT Correspondent Kevin Teel documented the night.

MORE: Kevin Teel Public Safety Photography

PHOTOS: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Correspondent Kevin Teel (Public Safety Photography)

TRIBUTE: Visiting hours are this afternoon and tonight for a former Lincoln Center administrator, MetLife Stadium construction executive and father of four who lived in Oradell.

A Mass of Christian burial is set for 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Nyack for Gerald A. Hastings, 52, who died suddenly on Monday.

Although an astute musician, Jerry Hastings’s greatest loves were his children and his family.

“Whenever we said ‘I love you,’ his response was always ‘I love you more’,” loved ones wrote in his obituary, citing his “kind heart and compassion for everyone.”

Hastings is survived by his children: Mary Elizabeth, Devon, Molly and Owen. Also: his mother, Joan; sister, Linda Kane; and brothers Robert and Kevin. Also precious to him were his nephews — Andrew, Gerald, Kevin, Tony — and his dear friend Seema, the family said.

He was predeceased by his father, Gerald, his brother, Stephen, his uncle, Eddy, and his maternal and paternal grandparents.

Hastings worked at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for nearly two decades, from 1988 to 2007, and was Sr. Vice-President for the Performing Arts and Executive Director of Lincoln Center Development Project — leading a $1.2 billion redevelopment of the iconic Manhattan campus.

In 2008, he co-founded 3Square, a real estate consulting and construction management firm.

Hastings focused his efforts on both high-end residential construction projects and institutional projects throughout the New York metropolitan area — as general contractor, construction manager, consultant, subcontractor, whatever was needed.

He was a Senior Vice President and Projects Executive for Tishman Construction at MetLife Stadium.

Born in the Bronx, Hastings attended Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack; NYU, where he studied Construction Management; the Mechanics Institute, where he studied Construction Technology; and the Berkeley College of Music, where he studied Audio Recording Engineering.

Visiting hours are from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Michael J. Higgins Funeral Home, 321 South Main St., New City, (845) 634-6110

SHOUT OUT: New Jersey lawmakers and women’s groups aim to start trying to reverse the declining numbers of women in office in the Garden State with “From Girl to Leader: a Celebration of Women’s Equality Day” at Bergen Community College later this month.

Girls are encouraged to attend the free Aug. 26 event, where they and their parents can meet with female leaders.

They will include:

Liz Abzug, whose mother, Bella, was known for her tireless work on behalf of women’s rights, will be one of the speakers. She is the executive director of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute in New York City;

Alice Paul Institute Director Lucy Beard, who will show a brief video about Paul — who is largely responsible for winning women the right to vote;

Former Tenafly Mayor Ann Moscovitz, who will emcee a question-and-answer session among the female leaders and girls attending the event.

Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, Closter Mayor Sophie Heymann and Upper Saddle River Mayor Joanne Minichetti;

RSVP/INFO: Women’s Equality Day

SEE FLYER:

SHOUT OUTS: A passing bicyclist and a pair of quick-moving Port Authority police officers prevented a man from jumping to his death from the George Washington Bridge, authorities said this morning.

The good Samaritan alerted Officers Jeffery Barnable and Teresa Jeffery of the would-be jumper near the bridge’s New York tower around 6:30 last night, the authority’s Joseph Pentangelo said.

They spotted the 21-year-old upstate New York man, who turned and took off on the southside pedestrian walkway, he said.

He was heading over the rail when additonal responding officers grabbed him, Pentangelo said.

Police took him to Harlem Hospital for observation, he said.

The man is  from the town of Elmore, NY, in Clinton County, near the Canadian border, Pentangelo said.

SHOUT OUT: Guitarist John D’Amato is lending his “Born Blue Tour” for his latest CD to a cause that’s literally close to his heart — the Children’s Organ Transplant Association — in a special benefit show later this month at Mexicali Live in Teaneck.

D’Amato took up the cause after hearing about 17-year-old Johnny Damato of Fort Lee (no relation), who was born with a rare heart defect and received a life-saving emergency heart transplant two summers ago.

“I was born with a condition known as Coarctation of the Aorta [a narrowing of part of the aorta, the major artery leading out of the heart], which caused me to have circulation problems,” he said. “If my blood was having problems getting throughout my body I wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

“That lack of oxygen caused me to literally turn blue.”

D’Amato was finally brought home three weeks later with what at the time wasn’t a very good prognosis.

“Unfortunately in 1957 there was no way to correct [it],” he said. “The doctor’s speculated that as I grew the narrowing would create so much pressure in my aorta that eventually it would burst; it was just a question of when, so I had to be monitored closely and tested frequently. 

* * * * * *

WHAT: John D’Amato COTA Benefit Show
WHEN: Tues., Aug. 26 (8 p.m., DOORS: 6 p.m.)
WHERE: Mexicali Live, 1409 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck
COST: $15 (SEE BELOW)

* * * * * *

“My childhood seemed like an endless routine of doctor visits and hospital stays until I reached age nine. At that point we were informed that a surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital had performed a new procedure on a young boy that corrected his Coarctation of the Aorta.

“So at age nine, I had the same life saving surgery,” D’Amato said. “One year later I was told by my doctor that I was totally healthy and did not have to come back and see him.”

D’Amato, like many, was stung when he learned of the struggles families endure trying to pay for the surgery, the continual visits to the doctor and the expensive anti-rejection medications children must take for the rest of their lives.

He has pledged $1 from each copy “Born Blue… The Sun Sessions” CD or Digital download sold to COTA for Johnny (the album was recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis).

What’s more, $5 from each “Born Blue” T-Shirt sold will be split evenly between COTA and the International Children’s Heart Foundation.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS:

*      *      *      *      *      *

VISIT: John D’Amato: Bluezzman.com
OR: Twitter.com/Bluezzmann
FACEBOOK: Blues for COTA

SHOUT OUT: A continuing education course for police supervisors is being offered at Fairleigh Dickinson University, thanks to the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association.

“The consensus of chiefs was that a training course was needed for the mid-level supervisor,” said Wood-Ridge Police Chief Joseph T. Rutigliano, chairman of the chiefs’ association Education and Training Committee.

“The course needed to be more specific to the county then what is offered now by private organizations,” he said.

With the help of Executive Associate Dean Ronald E. Calissi, the Supervision of Law Enforcement Personnel program was created at FDU’s Anthony J. Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies “to enhance the skills of the law enforcement/public safety supervisors to effectively, ethically and competently manage their personnel,” Rutigliano said.

The university is offering three college undergraduate or graduate credits upon completion of the course and a Capstone project.

Bergen County Prosecutor, John Molinelli is underwriting half of the tuition for the two-level course with forfeiture funds.

CONTACT: Maureen Farrell (201) 692-6507

The chiefs association “will remain at the forefront of law enforcement throughout the county,” Rutigliano said. “There is a wealth of talent within the rank of chief who know best how to serve the community.”

SHOUT OUT: Name your party — birthday, retirement, holiday, bar/bat mitzvah, baby shower, Sweet 16, school reunion and more — and Glow Party Venue in Westwood can make it happen.

The entire facility is available for exclusive use for up to five hours for each party, be it teen or adult, corporate or private. Engagement parties, anniversary parties, networking events — fundraisers, too — Glow brings them to life.

Schools, churches and temples, emergency services squads, PTAs, D.A.R.E. programs and others choose Glow.

Only invited guests will share the 4,500 square feet of space and party room with you.

Call for a no-obligation appointment for showing, pricing and booking:

(201) 497-3377

* * * * * *

NOTE: A previous story in CLIFFVIEW PILOT about a massage parlor arrest at a nearby business was accompanied by a stock photo of the outside of the Glow Party Venue building. The people at Glow had no connection whatsoever to that incident or to the other business.

* * * * * *

SHOUT OUT: Two nights ago, former longtime Fair Lawn Volunteer Ambulance Corps member R Carter Wolf was readmitted to the hospital as he continues a battle with leukemia. A GoFundMe site seeks to help the family.

Wolf, a Fair Lawn native who now lives in Ohio, had a bone marrow transplant three months ago following several rounds of chemotherapy.

He may need a blood transfusion, loved ones said.

The other night his fever spiked above 100.4, they said. After more than seen months of hospital care, he’d been home less than a month.

*      *      *      *      *      * 

You can help defray the family’s expenses.

CLICK “DONATE NOW” (RIGHT)

*      *      *      *      *      *

“Please keep him in your prayers as there are many possibilities, including graft and host disease, that could be responsible for this recent admittance back to the hospital,” his niece, Rachel, wrote.

“Also, please keep his daughter Stephanie (11) in your prayers. She is back with us for the time being and starts back to school Monday,” she added. “I know she was excited to start back with her father home so this is sure to be hard on her as well.”

Thank you.

SHOUT OUT: Jack Garland and his wife, Sharon, only wanted to share a special milestone with their daughter, who was born with a heart defect, when the Little Ferry couple agreed to accompany her on a celebratory vacation to Cancun. Then disaster struck.

On Thursday, three days after several family members arrived, Jack suffered a severe stroke and ended up in a Mexican hospital.

He survived, but only after relatives and friends pooled their money and secured a $40,000 line of credit through the local consulate (Mexico doesn’t honor American health insurance).

However, they need a minimum of $160,000 to keep Jack in the hospital there and fly him home once he is healthy enough.
* * * * * * 

Loved ones have established a GoFundMe site through which you can help BRING JACK BACK. CLICK HERE:

* * * * * *

Two years ago, Hurricane Sandy flooded the Little Ferry home where John “Jack” Garland was raised — and where the Vietnam war veteran and his wife raised a family with deep and lasting ties to law enforcement and public service.

The storm destroyed Jack’s basement office and the van that held his work equipment. Using his retirement nest egg and some disaster aid, he rebuilt.

The Garlands were already caring for their daughter, Tara, who was born with transposition of the heart. She wasn’t supposed to reach 20 — but tireless efforts from loved ones and the best medical care available doubled that.

To celebratem she asked her parents and loved ones to take the Cancun trip with her. They couldn’t refuse.

After commuting an hour and a half to and from the hospital, Sharon and Jack Jr. this weekend found a place closer to Jack.

That eases some of the stress but is far from relieving all of it.

Please help BRING BACK JACK in any way that you can. All proceeds will go to paying for his medical treatment and traveling expenses for him and his family.

Thank you.

SHOUT OUT: The Paramus PD added a 2015 Harley Davidson police motorcycle during a raffle at the 15th Annual Andiamo Restaurant Benefit Motorcycle Run, which drew more than 1,200 riders today.

What began as a way by restaurateur Don Dickstein to buy a cycle for Cresskill police in 1999 has raised more than $1 million for, among others, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, JDF, Special Olympics NJ and various local charities.

This year’s nearly 60-mile event centered, as usual, on the Hardenburgh Avenue restaurant in Haworth and continued with a run across the George Washington Bridge and back, escorted by the Fort Lee Police Department’s Motorcycle Unit and various other motorcycle law enforcement officers.

George Coleman, Don Dickstein

The GWB was closed temporarily as the riders — from throughout New Jersey and beyond — quickly passed through.

It all culminated with a block party outside Andiamo’s, joined by thousands of supporters and featuring the band Third Rail.

Various participants and attendees took the photos below. Thank you to all of them — and to Andiamo.

SHOUT OUT: Enjoy a beautiful ride through NJ and NY on scenic back roads on the Lt. Patrick Roe Scholarship Fund Third Annual Benefit Poker Run, sponsored by Mahwah Volunteer Fire Ladder Co. 2, on Sunday, Sept. 28.

The ride raises funds for the scholarship established in the name of Roe, who was walking from the Mahwah train station after attending the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Hoboken on March 6, 2005 when he was struck by a train.

It begins at Mahwah Bar & Grill, 2 Island Road, and ends at the Mason Jar Restaurant, 219 Route 202, Mahwah.

There will also be awards, a 50/50, lunch and live music.

Per rider: $25
Per passenger: $15
Just lunch: $15

Registration is from 9-11 a.m.

Or pre-register online: www.mahwahladder2.com

The first 100 to register receive a free commemorative pin.

(Rain date: Oct. 5)

MORE: (201) 529-2711 or mahwahfireco2@yahoo.com

DONATIONS:

Patrick L. Roe Scholarship Fund
c/o Mahwah Fire Co#2
60 Island Rd
Mahwah, NJ 07430

SHOUT OUT: 1st Lt. John Beddoe, a U.S. Army reservist and EMT from Demarest was named one of the third annual New Jersey Heroes’ “Heart of a Hero” scholarship winners.

New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie today announced the 10 winners, who each receives a $5,000 scholarship award to help pursue a post-secondary education or vocational training.

Christie established the program as another resource to help New Jersey’s military men and women reach their higher education and career goals.

“Our veterans, past and present, are an extension of our greater New Jersey family,” she said.

This year’s recipients range from 25 to 64, the First Lady noted.

Beddoe, an ambulance and rescue corps member (with Christie, above), said he’s felt a calling to provide lifesaving care to those in need.

He has entered the registered nurse program at Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing and plans to specialize as an acute care nurse practitioner.

The other recipients:

· Staff Sergeant Saul J. Bautista, U.S. Army/NJ Army National Guard, 28 (Newark, Essex)

· 1st Lt. Jessica Evelyn Domincovitch, U.S. Air Force, 26 (Mount Laurel, Burlington)

· Staff Sergeant E-5 Katie Megan Grogan, U.S. Air Force/NJ Air National Guard, 25 (Jackson, Ocean)

· Colonel Philip Daniel Jones, U.S. Army Reserve, 52 (Ringoes, Hunterdon)

· Army Specialist E 4, Eugene Marsh, U.S. Army, 64 (Pennington, Mercer).

· Senior Airman E-4 Johandy Martinez, U.S. Air Force Reserve, 25 (Union City, Hudson)

· Corporal E-4 Adolph Mayo, U.S. Marine Corps, 58 (Jersey City, Hudson).

· Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Mack Mota, U.S. Navy, 31 (Lacey Twp, Ocean)

· Technical Sergeant Ryan C. Munoz, U.S. Air Force, 27 (Bordentown, Burlington)

To be considered for the Heart of a Hero Scholarship, applicants had to:

• be a United States citizen and New Jersey resident;
• be a high school graduate or have a high school equivalency diploma (GED);
• serve or have served in the military;
• submit a letter stating goals and how the scholarship will be used;
• enroll as a student at an accredited college/university or a vocational training school in pursuit of a degree for the 2014-2015 school year;
• demonstrate a commitment to volunteerism and community contribution, in the spirit of New Jersey Heroes.

YOU can nominate someone whom you believe fits the criteria as a true New Jersey hero.

GO TO: http://newjerseyheroes.org

New Jersey Heroes’ “Heart of a Hero” scholarship winners

SHOUT OUT: The hospital on the Hudson in North Bergen will be soon known as HackensackUMC Palisades said executives from Palisades Medical Center who today signed a letter of intent — pending state approval — to be acquired by Hackensack University Medical Center.

The deal brings $50 million into the acute-care hospital for new equipment, operating room renovations and service improvements, reduces costs for billing, purchasing and insurance — and extends HUMC’s reach into Hudson County, boosting its ability to compete with Manhattan’s hospitals.

It also is the culmination of a working arrangement between the two non-profits that began in June 2012 with the sharing of clinical privileges.

The move follows the purchase of Jersey City Medical Center earlier this year by St. Barnabas Health System and of St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic by Prime HealthCare Services, which is pursuing St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark.

HUMC specialists have handled pediatric and neonatal cases from Palisades General, which excels in that area. The new arrangement now opens access for Palisades patients to HUMC’s neurology, orthopedic surgery and oncology services.

“Since joining efforts in June 2012, both systems have seen significant benefits in the working relationship that has developed between their medical staff and physicians,” HUMC said on its Facebook page.

Officials said the management team at Palisades won’t change.

“We are thrilled to be taking this next step with our friends at Palisades Medical Center,” said Robert C. Garrett, the president and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network, which also has HackensackUMC at Pascack in Westwood and HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair.

“Our physicians and staff at HackensackUMC and Palisades Medical Center are the best in the state, committed to providing world-class quality care to our patients,” Garrett said. “This new venture will place our hospitals on the cutting-edge of medicine and healthcare delivery for our patients.”

Meanwhile, Bruce J. Markowitz, president and CEO of Palisades Medical Center, called the move “just one more step” toward strengthening its mission of providing “exceptional care for our patients.”

Palisades is building 50,000 square feet of physician office space and parking next to the 202-bed hospital.

TRIBUTE: It wasn’t until a week and a half before 9/11 that the federal government created the first national medal honoring local public safety officers — all because of a conversation at a Westwood watering hole between a borough policeman and a brother-in-arms from Washington, D.C. over pints of Guinness.

“The amazing thing is: Most law enforcement agencies don’t even know about this,” Jeffrey Muller told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “Try a search. No stories have been written about it.”

Until now.

Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor

Westwood Police Officer Scott McNiff had invited his friend Muller out to Finnegan’s for brews and BS one fall night in 1997 when they got to talking about doing something special for fellow police officers.

When he patrolled Washington, D.C., Muller said, he was surrounded by monuments, award ceremonies and other types of recognition essentially for the military.

“There was nothing for the law enforcement community on that same level,” the U.S. Marine veteran, now with Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “I thought: Why not? Let’s get police officers recognition.”

Muller, who has family in and around Bergen County, has already been honored by President Clinton for jumping into the icy Anacostia River to save a 79-year-old woman trapped in a sinking car.

McNiff attended the Department of the Interior Medal of Honor ceremony.

“If this medal of valor was going to be a national award, we needed national support,” Muller said. “So we went to work on a game plan.”

“We grabbed a couple more Guinness, some bar napkins and made notes,” McNiff said.

The next day, they began approaching the more influential people they knew in the local PBAs.

After returning to D.C., Muller launched a massive letter-writing campaign — to unions, law enforcement benevolent organizations and others.

“I pretty much got the same reaction from most people: ‘You mean this doesn’t already exist?’ ” he said.

Jeffrey D. Muller

The national Fraternal Order of Police stepped up with funding. The National Association of Police Organizations, the National Troopers Coalition, the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association all pledged support.

Within a few months, Muller was taking private meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He worked with the U.S. Park Police at night while attending the subsequent hearings during the day.

“I figured if we were going to do this, why not shoot for the stars?” he said.

Then came a sobering civics lesson.

Things looked promising when then-Vice President Al Gore had Muller stand and be recognized while touting the need for a medal of valor during a May 1998 speech at the National Law Enforcement Police Memorial in the nation’s capital.

The resulting bill died in Congress, however.

“These no-brainer bills — people expect them to sail through, so they add their two cents or try to get what they can,” Muller said. “They basically hijack your bill. It’s very frustrating.”

Hopes rekindled when the next session of Congress picked it up. But that measure went sideways, as well.

Then, as he was leaving office, President Clinton issued an executive order creating an award. It fell short of what Muller and McNiff had hoped, however.

Not long after, Congress once again took up the measure. It went to a vote and passed.

Muller was a bit disappointed that President Bush unceremoniously signed the bill into law on Sept. 1, 2001 — no extra pens, VIP onlookers or media. But no matter.

Federal agencies had long awarded medals to their own law enforcement officers and military service men and women — the most famous, of course, being the Medal of Honor. There’s also the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal. Civilians have been recognized, as well.

But never before did the United States bestow national recognition on local public safety officers for heroism and bravery.

The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor recognizes “actions above and beyond the call of duty; and exhibiting exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness and presence of mind; or an unusual swiftness of action, regardless of his or her personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life” by police, firefighters, corrections officers and EMS personnel.

Recipients are chosen by a review board within the U.S. Justice Department comprised of members with public safety experience and expertise.

In the medal’s 13-year existence, 78 have been awarded — 18 last year. Nominations for this year’s medals closed July 31.

Muller and McNiff credit one another for the legacy, born of a bond forged through public service. McNiff calls Muller “a living legend,” while Muller says his friend epitomizes selflessness and dedication to others.

Both hope to one day see a scholarship attached to the medal for the children of recipients — although they know that it, too, will entail a political battle.

For right now, Muller said, “it’s a little slice of heaven.”

“It’s amazing that it was authorized just 10 days before some of the greatest acts of bravery by public safety officers that this country had ever witnessed,” McNiff said. “Amazing and fitting.”

SHOUT OUTS: Norwood officials last night honored a law enforcement veteran and the borough police chief’s son for pulling a woman from her car as it became submerted in an overflowing creek during a storm.

The Honda Civic was more than half-submerged in roughly eight feet of water behind Borough Hall as Officer Thomas Russo came running with Englewood Cliffs Officer Marc Krapels, the son of Norwood Police Chief Jeff Krapels, on Aug. 1.

Marc Krapels (l.) with father Jeff and brother Justin (PHOTO: Courtesy Elizabeth Tiner Krapels)

“She opened the door, fell and went under,” said Russo, who’d already waded in up to his waist. “So I went in after her.”

“It definitely wasn’t the kind of dive you see in the movies,” he told CLIFFVIEW PILOT after changing into dry clothes after the rescue. “There wasn’t time to do anything but jump.

“I got her to the surface, then moved us a few feet so I could grab Mark’s arm,” said Russo (above, second from right). “He pulled me and I pulled her and we got her out.”

EMS workers tended to the woman, who lives in Woodland Park and works in Rockleigh. She declined further medical attention.

“She was fine at first. Then, after about 10 minutes she tried to thank me and started crying,” Russo said. “She was upset over the whole situation and over losing her car.”

A family member picked her up soon after.

“Things like that happen so fast,” the elder Krapels told CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “I’m thrilled that the woman, my officer and my son are OK.”

Russo, meanwhile, returned to headquarters, put on a dry uniform, and went back to work.

This was just hours after he had lunch with Capt. Perry Buongiorno — a 30-year veteran himself — and Officer Domenick Ghione, who has one year under his belt. They were celebrating Russo’s 28 years as a police officer.

Russo was with the Hudson County Police from 1987 to 1996, when the department was disbanded. He joined the Palisades Interstate Parkway police for five years before coming to Norwood.

“It was a crazy day all around with the storm,” he said. “Streets were flooded everywhere. I saw at least 10 abandoned cars all around the area.”

Moments later, the young Krapels spotted the Civic.

Other honorees at last night’s mayor and council meeting in Norwood included retired officer Richard B. Sposa — for 43 years of service with the borough — as well as Perry Duelfer, Julie Santoli White, John Kuder, Nancy Congiusti and Mike Getto.

Officers Thomas Russo (w/towel), Marc Krapels