MEDIA ADVISORY

The Newark Police Department and UMDNJ Will Honor Wounded Police Officers
- "Honoring our Heroes in Blue" Service Set for November 18 -

11/18/05—Newark police officers who were wounded in the line of duty will be recognized during the 2nd Annual Police Officers Appreciation Service on Friday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at New Hope Baptist Church, 106 Sussex Avenue, in Newark.

The "Honoring Our Heroes in Blue" event, sponsored by the Newark Police Department and co-sponsored by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), will pay tribute to officers who were shot within the past year while protecting and serving the Newark community. Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose will deliver remarks.

During the special awards presentation section of the service, Cherie Castellano, program director of the Cop 2 Cop program at UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare, will present certificates to the officers. A plaque will be given to State Senator Ronald Rice for his sponsorship of the Cop 2 Cop Law, which ensures that wounded officers have access to free behavioral health services.

In addition to a support group for wounded officers, the Cop 2 Cop program at UMDNJ-University Behavioral HealthCare offers New Jersey’s law enforcement officers a free confidential helpline (1-866-COP-2COP) that is staffed by peer counselors and clinicians. The Cop 2 Cop program, funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Personnel, was established five years ago.

WHAT: 2nd Annual Police Officers Appreciation Service - "Honoring
Our Heroes in Blue"

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 18, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: New Hope Baptist Church
106 Sussex Avenue, Newark, N.J.