F.N. Brown Students Get Show of a Lifetime

This morning, students at F.N. Brown Elementary School in Verona were treated to a very special show: a State Police helicopter taking off and landing right on the school's ball field.

The unmistakable sound of helicopter blades slicing the air above the township could no doubt be heard for miles around.

This dramatic display was just one of the numerous demonstrations of police equipment, vehicles and tactics demonstrated for students by more than a dozen officers at the second annual Police Expo.

Taking part in the demonstrations included officers from the Verona Police Department, Cedar Grove Police Department, Montclair Police Department/Montclair Police Critical Response Team, Glen Ridge Police Department, Essex County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad and more.

The event, which was spearheaded again this year by Verona Police Officer Joel Martin, is aimed at developing strong ties with the community's youth, and giving the children a first hand look at what police officers do in their jobs day-to-day.

Martin, a regular participant in the various community outreach activities the department holds at local schools, said events like this are just another part of the job.

"Throughout the year we get to go into classrooms and talk to the kids that way, but this is sort of like a show and tell. The kids love it, the community loves it and we love it. This is just what we do," he said.

For his part, Martin demonstrated the functions of a Verona Police cruiser, showing off the dashboard laptop, and of course, the lights and sirens.

Nearby, Verona Police officer James Barry and Cedar Grove Police officer Steve Baird talked kids through bicycle safety, on everything from tire pressure to proper helmet use.

Lieutenant Richard McBride, a 17-year veteran of the Essex County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, had at his station a bright orange bomb-seeking robot, complete with laptop and joystick controls. Amid students clamoring around the equipment to get a closer look, McBride told the kids all about the robot's capabilities, including night vision. For good measure, he also had on hand one of the squad's bomb suits -- a bulky, 50-plus pound piece of gear used by the department.

Across the lot, members of the Montclair Police Department Critical Response Team, including Capt. James Carlucci, Sgt. Robert Romito and Sgt. Angel Roman, the team leader, demonstrated tactical entry maneuvers against the backdrop of a massive black armored truck emblazoned with the Critical Response Team name. The gear they had on display included a 40-pound two-person battering ram, various machine and shotguns, a riot shield, and other specialized gear. Of course, the guns got the biggest "oohs" and "ahhs" from the enraptured F.N. Brown students.

Even the teachers got into the fun. Third grade aide Laura Quinn donned the Critical Response Team's tactical vest, a fire-resistant suit, and a headset microphone and helmet. Quinn was swimming inside the enormous suit, which weighed in at nearly 70 pounds, much to the delight of her students.

No police equipment demonstration would be complete without a row of motorcycles. Motorcycle unit officers from the Glen Ridge, Cedar Grove and Montclair police departments, including Det. Anthony Mazza with the Glen Ridge Police, and Ptl. Chris Locklear with the Montclair Police, helped kids on and off of the police bikes, and even let them flip the sirens. And flip them they did.

The coup de grace of the demonstration was a landing and take-off of a New Jersey State Police helicopter. The 12,000-lb., nearly 40-foot long Sikorsky helicopter took wide loops around the campus as it looked for the landing zone, helpfully marked by traffic cones in advance.

The air was filled with the cacophony of whirring chopper blades as the pilots brought it into a tight corkscrew-shaped landing pattern, before softly touching it down on the grass.

Since the students were asked to remain inside the school during the landing, young faces could be seen clamoring for position and peering out of the rear windows of the school, in total awe, as the helicopter completed its descent.

After the helicopter was on the ground, students and faculty gathered around to hear "Trooper Mike" and "Trooper Pat" talk about the finer points of flying a helicopter.

The troopers fielded a barrage of questions from the students, who by this point were buzzing with excitement.

"How fast can you go?" (Top speed of 160 miles per hour); "How high can you fly?" (Approximately 10,000 feet); "Have you ever shot a gun out the window while in the air?" (We're not allowed to do that.)

What drew the loudest gasps from the students was when their attention inevitably turned to the "guns" mounted on the nose of the helicopter, which although technically called pedo tubes, and used for measuring speed of vehicles on the ground, the colloquial use of the term "guns" by the officers got a big response from the crowd.

Verona Police Captain Mitchell Stern said a collegial relationship with other local police departments are what made such a demonstration possible.

"We're lucky we have a good relationship with surrounding police departments. To put all this together we basically only had to make a phone call."

Be sure to check out our photo gallery of the event, including a video of the helicopter taking off.