Caldwell Joins ‘Blue Line’ Movement In Support Of Local Police

CALDWELL, NJ — Several Essex County towns, including Caldwell, have joined the “Blue Line” movement in support of police and first responders nationwide, adding their names to a growing list of participating municipalities in North Jersey.

In support of the national Blue Line movement – “a memorial or a connection or memory between police officers killed in the line of duty and those who continue with their duties in the present” – several towns in North Jersey have recently opted to paint blue stripes on public roads.

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Multiple Essex County municipalities - including Caldwell, Verona and West Orange - have recently added themselves to the list.

Earlier this month, a bright blue line was painted in the middle of the double yellow lines on Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell and Harrison Avenue in Roseland, The Progress reported. A blue line was also painted in Provost Square this September near the Caldwell Police Department and the Community Center.

“We did it in recognition of our police officers who work hard to keep us safe,” Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing told The Progress. “It’s a public display of our support for our police department.

Verona town officials announced the municipality’s participation in the campaign on a Tuesday Facebook post, adding that the town was also paying homage to local firefighters and EMS squads with red and white lines.

“Today, the Dept. of Public Works painted red lines on Bloomfield Avenue by both firehouses for the Verona Fire Department, a blue line by the Verona Police Department and a white line by the Verona Rescue Squad to show support for all our amazing first responders,” the post stated.

Town officials in West Orange have also announced plans to participate in the Blue Line movement with a public ceremony on Oct. 28, the 70th anniversary of the death of West Orange police officer Daniel Laird.

“Officer Laird lived with his young family on Watson Avenue and went to work the overnight shift on Oct. 27 to fill in for another officer who called out sick,” town officials stated in a news release. “While patrolling with his partner, Alfred Hooper, on Northfield Avenue and driving in dense fog, Officer Laird swerved to avoid an oncoming speeding car and crashed into a telephone pole at the corner Koewing Place. Officer Laird left behind two sons and his wife, pregnant with their third child the night of the crash. His daughter would be born a few weeks after the accident.”

West Orange officials stated that at 10:30 a.m. on Friday in front of Town Hall, the municipal police department and the township will commemorate the memory of Laird and show support “for all our nation's police” by having a blue line painted on Main Street in front of Police Headquarters.

Photo: Verona Township

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