Essex County Crime Prevention Officers to Hold Fundraiser

The Essex County Crime Prevention Officers Association (ECCPOA) wants the public to know that their primary focus is to keep the surrounding communities safe and secure. The organization will hold a fundraiser on Thursday, July 7, from 7 to 11 p.m., at the Atrium Country Club in West Orange to help them achieve that goal. 

“One of the things we are doing is raising money for our new state-of-the-art website,” said Livingston officer Gary Mankowitz, who is the association’s president. “This website will be interactive with law enforcement officers and agencies, as well as with the citizens of Essex County, the state of New Jersey, and anyone else who would like to get safety tips, crime information.”

Individuals who log onto the site, which is currently under construction, will be able to access links to several tip hotlines. The fundraiser will also aid the ECCPOA in raising money to continue their efforts to establish an updated crime prevention library that will be shared by several law enforcement agencies. “There are other projects that we will be working on in the near future that will help to reduce crime in Essex County and throughout the state,” Mankowitz said.

The ECCPOA also plans to enhance communication with all the Essex County tip hotlines. One of the goals is to be able to provide real-time information immediately to off-duty officers who carry cell phones and have partnered with the association to receive alerts.

Thursday’s event will include a show featuring New York City comics, a DJ, food buffet, a hand-rolled cigar bar on the patio, 50/50 and a cash bar.

Awards will be presented to the ECCPOA Officers of the Year: Chief Sheila Byron Lagattuta of the Glen Ridge Police Department; Det. /Sgt. Louis Cammarata of the Fairfield Police Department; and Special Agent Doug Collier of the Drug Enforcement Agency.

To determine the awardees, the ECCPOA sent letters to the Essex County law enforcement agency chiefs, asking for their submission of an officer who they felt made major contributions to helping reduce and prevent crime in Essex County.

The ECCPOA has been a not-for-profit organization since 1986 when it was started in Orange by then Captain Don Wactor. Current ECCPOA board members include: Officer Gary Mankowitz, President, Livingston PD; Officer Kevin O’Connell, Vice President, Bloomfield PD; Officer Joy Klapal, Secretary, Livingston PD; Sgt. Rich Potts, retired, West Orange PD; and Officer Jose Munoz, Sgt. at Arms, Bloomfield PD. Trustees: Chief Kurt Dombrowski, Caldwell PD; Captain James Decker, Bloomfield PD; and Lt. Orlando Soto, Orange PD.

“The number of police officers in New Jersey has decreased,” said Mankowitz. “So it is our responsibility to educate the public about how to keep themselves safe. The members of the Essex County Crime Preventions Officers Association dedicate a lot of their own time to this organization because they care about the citizens of Essex County and the state of New Jersey.”

Tickets for Thursday’s event are $45 in advance and $65 at the door and can be purchased online at www.eccpoa.org.