Cinnaminson's Sean Cullen To Be Added To Police Museum Wall Of Fame

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Fallen New Jersey State Trooper Sean Cullen is one of three state troopers that will be memorialized in the Police Museum of the Gloucester County Law Enforcement Educational Resource Center, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office announced this week. An officer of the Delaware River and Bay Authority will also receive a permanent place on a plaque in the center. The center’s “Wall of Honor” is dedicated to officers who have lost their lives in police work since 1932.

Cullen, Eli McCarson and Anthony R. Fotiou of the New Jersey State Police and Patrolman Vincent A. Julia of the Delaware River and Bay Authority will be honored during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 14, 6 p.m. The families of the officers have been invited to the ceremony.

Cullen was killed in an accident on 295 in West Deptford, Gloucester County, last year. He was struck by a passing driver while responding to the scene of an accident and active fire. All of the officers who will be honored in the June 14 ceremony either lived in Gloucester County and lost their life on duty elsewhere or were fatally injured on patrol in the county.

“The Gloucester County Law Enforcement Museum honors police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their communities,” Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton said. “It also preserves the rich legacy of the men and women serving in Gloucester County who have helped keep our streets safe over the years.”

The museum is located within the library of Rowan College at Gloucester County (formerly Gloucester County College), 1400 Tanyard Road in Deptford Township. New Jersey State Parole Board Chairman James Plousis will be the keynote speaker. He is a former U.S. Marshal for New Jersey and former Cape May County Sheriff.

The New Jersey State Police Pipe Band will open the ceremony and the Glassboro Police Department Honor Guard will present the colors. Refreshments will be served.

The museum was opened in 2015 with the purpose of educating the public about law enforcement in Gloucester County. This is done through the use of exhibits of documents, photographs, police equipment and uniforms as well as video presentations.

Law enforcement “firsts” are recognized in the museum- the county’s first female police chief, the first police dispatcher, and others.

A new addition here will be the late Michael S. Curwin and his wife, Audrey, the first husband and wife to serve as First Assistant Prosecutor in a New Jersey county prosecutor’s office.

Another will be the police chiefs of Woolwich and Paulsboro, Russell and Vernon Marino. They were the first father and son to serve as chief simultaneously until Russell’s retirement.

New exhibits, including the history of the Clayton Police Department, the story of the county’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit and profiles of “Cold Case” homicides that are still under investigation, will debut at the June 14 ceremony.

Museum hours from fall through spring are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. In the summer, the museum is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours of groups of five or more can be scheduled in advance by calling 856-384-5534.

Donations can be made to support the non-profit Gloucester County Law Enforcement Educational Resource Center at P.O. Box 446, Woodbury NJ, 08096.

Cullen’s addition to the “Wall of Honor” follows the dedication of a tree and a plaque in his honor outside the Cinnaminson Post Office earlier this week.

He is also one of four officers who was recently recognized by the state during a ceremony in Ocean Grove. His name was recently added to the large granite monument that bears the names of all officers from Burlington County law enforcement agencies who have died in the line of duty.

He was an all-American wrestler who graduated from Cinnaminson High School. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, emigrated to the United States with his family when he was a child, and graduated from Cinnaminson High School in 2003.

Patch file photo