Stranger Danger By Ted Freeman, Executive Undersheriff Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office and Cynthia Scott, Public Information Officer

An innovative program about stranger danger keeps two Monmouth County sheriff’s officers busy teaching about preventive measures to pre-school and elementary school students.

On Oct. 11, 2013, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden introduced a bi-lingual program for elementary school students at Midtown Community School in Neptune, New Jersey, called Dangers of Strangers. Six years later, one of the two original instructors, bi-lingual Officer Iliana Santos, has been joined by Officer Michelle Melendez. The duo conducts the Dangers of Strangers program at elementary schools throughout Monmouth County.

“The safety and security of our children remains a principal concern for the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “That’s why it is vital that children are made aware, and often reminded, about the dangers of strangers. Strangers have a way of luring children into harmful or possibly fatal situations through bribes and false claims such as a family emergency, a fake injury, or a lost pet.”

The two sheriff’s officers complement each other well. They have known each other since elementary school, both are married with young children and both have a passion for child safety. That passion shows in their dedication to continually updating the Dangers of Strangers program to keep the material current and relevant. Over the years, segments have been modified to cover the dangers to children over social media, cellphones, and even in interactive online video games.

Most recently, video segments have been added to the programs to illustrate how criminals try to lure young children to go along with them in a car or to a secluded area. The program is continually updated to keep it as contemporary as possible.

A brochure is given to each student that covers all of the safety measures covered in the presentation so that the child and parents can review what was taught in the lesson. The program covers:

• What is a stranger, the difference between good and bad strangers

• What to do if a stranger talks to you

• Safety tips on inappropriate touching and feeling uncomfortable

• Safety tips inside the home

• What to do when you are home alone

• Tricks used by strangers to get you to go with them

• How to answer the telephone when no one else is in the house 

An exercise and demonstration on the importance of using the “Buddy System” when going places in and around your community.

The program is offered to the Spanish-speaking community with bi-lingual Sheriff’s Officer Iliana Santos with brochures and a parent letter also in a Spanish version.

The program was scheduled for all third-grade classes at C. Richard Applegate School, Freehold Township, New Jersey by Guidance Counselor Diana Whille, in conjunction with third-grade teachers Lisa Cicero, Janet Giglio, Jaclyn Doyle and JoAnn Zamrzycki and presented on Feb. 7, 2019. A total of 74 students attended the two back-to-back sessions.

Following the program, teachers and students were asked their reaction to the presentation. Teacher Lisa Cicero said, “The presentation was extremely informative and kid friendly, and the students were highly engaged.” Teacher Jackie Doyle said, “The presentation highlighted the importance of children being aware of their surroundings and identifying trusted adults around them. The officers also reminded students to share with their families the tips they learned about staying safe, whether they are at the playground or on the internet. It is an important conversation for teachers and parents to continually have with their children!”

Student reactions were also very positive including remarks from third-graders:

“It was so much fun, and I want to do it again,” said Amber. Mathew said, “I learned what to do if someone is calling on the phone and you do not know their phone number or voice. You should hang up or get an adult.” And Emma told us, “I think it was important that the officers came, so that if we ever see a stranger or feel like we are in an uncomfortable situation, we know what to do. We’re ready thanks to them.”

“I am proud to have the opportunity to offer sixteen youth outreach programs to our schools in Monmouth County” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “Children are Monmouth County’s most valuable natural resource and our youth outreach programs are designed to protect and preserve that natural resource.”

Since 2015, over 100 Dangers of Strangers programs have been conducted reaching over 10,000 elementary school students. Officers Santos and Melendez are also involved in conducting numerous other outreach programs including Career Days, Distracted Driving, Lock Your Meds, SEEK 9-1-1, ACES 9-1-1, Gold Star Senior Travel, Keeping Your Keys – Senior Safe Driving, Sheriff Youth Week and many others.

Honest and Law-Abiding Citizens Have Nothing to Fear By Christian Argudo

While working the midnight tour, you are dispatch ed to Main Street on a report of a burglary and attempted rape in progress. It is later discovered that a young lady woke to a man who had broken into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her. After a brief fight, she was able to dial 911 as the suspect fled the scene. The description provided was of a young Hispanic male and he was seen driving away in an unknown vehicle. As you are turning the corner onto Main Street, you observe two vehicles: a rusty older model GMC pickup truck and a newer model Honda Accord. There is a possibility that one of these vehicles is occupied by the suspect. You have a 50 percent chance to stop the right vehicle. Which vehicle would you stop?

The uninformed public would say that if you stop the pickup truck, you are guilty of stereotyping and even worse you are a racist. On the other hand, if you stop the newer Honda, then you are an idiot and do not know how to do your job and should be provided with more training.

So, is criminal profiling legal? Yes, it is but racial profiling is not. Is it 100% accurate? Of course not, but nothing really is. The problem is that many people are not willing to accept any margin of error; and that is not realistic in our line of duty no matter how much work and effort we put in.

When officers profile a criminal, they take into account several things, such as time of day, clothing, mannerisms, reaction to police presence and many others factors. For instance, heroin addicts have a distinctive pale skin and pinpoint pupils. Their physical features are not normal and induced by their drug abuse.

Burglars have certain habits when scouting a job. They carry tools unconventional to the time and place they are at the moment. They can’t help themselves but to look “guilty” upon the presence of law enforcement. I can spot them a mile away, based on my training and experience.

So, what’s profiling? Profiling is merely a descriptor, an aid in the process of elimination that is legal and completely necessary to accomplish certain investigative tasks.

Unlike racial profiling; criminal profiling is allowed as long as it does not include race as the main and only factor in the profile. During profiling, we can find a connection between race and misconduct. Criminal behavior comes in patterns that give away unique signs indicating that criminals are up to no good, no matter what their race may be. Criminals are identified by their crimes. Profiling is used to detect threats and to stop crimes; therefore, police can’t do anything about what a person might do, only what they actually do. This means that the crime must be actually be committed before there is police involvement.

The line between discretion and profiling is very thin, as well as what’s popular and what seems to make sense. Police officers have a strenuous job, especially when it is time to make the right decision in a split second. They don’t wake up in the morning thinking they will profile a particular race and make them suspects of certain crimes. As enforcers of the law, they are expected to resolve every case they come in contact with, without receiving any credit, and they’re blamed when things do not go well. It is unfortunate that some people do not see us as people who leave their families behind every day to save somebody else’s family, but as degenerate profilers.

God forbid you see the word “Profiling” on the front page of a newspaper; you will not only find a correlation between evil and law enforcement, but the word itself being demonized by the press. The media does not give it the proper credit, which is that it is a great investigative tool when used properly. The FBI has successfully used profiling for decades to catch criminals. However, if this tool is used by police to catch certain ethnic groups, then it is wrong; but if used to solve crimes and catch criminals, then profiling is highly welcome by everybody in the community, even by those who criticize its existence. So, it’s not the profiling process itself, but what you do with it that is objectionable.

So, before you start knocking criminal profiling, remember that it is completely legal and necessary. Without it, many crimes would go unnoticed.

Christian Argudo is a police sergeant in northern New Jersey. He’s a U.S. Army combat veteran. He served two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He’s earned a bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is currently working toward his master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University as well.

Bastardizing Civil Rights Icons By Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. (Ret.)

The Jussie Smollett incident took enough twists and turns to fill an entire season show on pay TV, before its climactic finale that ended with his arrest. However, the liberal media and race hustlers are still trying to squeeze the last bit of juice out of that orange. If you thought this hoax was over, you are wrong. The identity politics purveyors and the media will use this case as a rallying point to keep this insidious game of race politics alive.

A narrative is now developing by Smollett’s supporters and apologist who are desperately trying to salvage anything possible. They question the motivations of the Chicago Police arguing that Laquan McDonald—the armed black male killed by police and the cover-up by withholding the body cam video until after Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s re-election means the Chicago Police can never again be believed. However, there is another aspect in the aftermath of all this, that I find more disgusting. It’s the rationalization of bad behavior—even criminal behavior—by certain black people who should know better. Liberal media elitists, black political pundits, and professors in ivory towers in academia lead the chorus in furthering the cultural rot that is becoming pervasive throughout the black community.

Instead of being responsible by exhibiting leadership through the influential positions these liberal elites have—many of them who are black—chose to commiserate and pander by finding justification for bad behavior by black men. Is everything upside down?

There was a time that when black icons in the fight for justice were much different. These are icons like Dred Scott, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, Harriett Tubman, Nat Turner and Crispus Attucks who was the first American killed in the Revolutionary War. More recently Emmitt Till, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Thurgood Marshall, and Dr. Martin Luther King come to mind. These stalwarts in the pursuit of justice and equality were people worthy of icon status and role modeling. However, today the people who are championed as heroes and icons in the black community more resemble a police blotter. People like Rodney King, Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin are now the giants in the civil rights movement. This is an insult, a perversion of the blood sweat and tears endured by people worthy of being forever remembered throughout history. It’s disgusting that some hucksters are so desperate to find 21st-century civil rights icons as an example that the fight for justice continues (as if nothing has gotten better), that they are willing to disparage and water down the sacrifices made by real black icons.

Every one of these previously mentioned modern-day civil rights icons (miscreants) were engaged not civil disobedience, but dangerous criminal behavior at the time of their death. Mike Brown had committed a strong-armed robbery of a convenience store clerk before attempting to disarm a police officer for heaven’s sake.

Listen to how these miscreants were heralded. Race hustler Al Sharpton said, “The demonstrations, the rallies that many of us came and started led into what later happened two years later around Ferguson (Mo.), around Eric Garner; but it started, the seeds of that started in Trayvon Martin, so Trayvon Martin energized a renewal of civil rights activism in the 21st century like Emmett Till energized it in the 20th century.” Seriously?

Is anybody surprised that CNN show host Don Lemon excused the hoax perpetrated by Jesse Smollett by saying that, “it’s not his fault,” and that Smollett simply lost in the court of public opinion. Lemon further blamed it on how his lawyers handled it.

However, the gold medal winner in the aftermath of the Smollett hoax is CNN’s race provocateur Van Jones who likened Smollett’s stature to the impact on American society that Jackie Robinson’s breaking the color barrier in baseball had. I kid you not. He called Smollett, “the fall of an icon” in the black community. Jones takes hyperbole to a new level. This is sick.

Young black men should be shielded from people like Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Colin Kaepernick, and Jesse Smollett unless we use them as examples of how not to behave or model after. We need role models in the black community, but we don’t need this group. While we’re at it, we should consider shielding them from bad behavior enablers like Don Lemon and Van Jones too.

If Colin Kaepernick, Jussie Smollett and a list of criminals are the 21st-century symbols of where the civil rights movement stands today, then shut it down. What an abomination. Let’s add no more names to the list of who’s who among black icons. In fact, not being able to find people worthy of civil rights icon status today tells me that it’s time to acknowledge that while we should never forget, we have overcome.

(Article courtesy of townhall.com)

Sheriff David Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of AmericasSheriff LLC, Senior Advisor for America First, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com

Chief Today, Demoted Tomorrow. The story of retired Deputy Chief Robert Cowan By Valerie Velazquez-Stetz (Ret.) J.C.P.D.

During the mid-to late 1980s, the New Jersey Department of Civil Service designated both Jersey City and Newark as “Class A” cities. This distinction provided that the mayors of those respective cities “appoint the chief of police” who would then serve at the pleasure of the mayor. This departure from Civil Service procedures and protections is not a good process for appointing a police chief, as it provides an opportunity for a mayor to corrupt the position of police chief.

Robert Cowan was ultimately “appointed” as the chief of police by the Jersey City mayor and was the shortest tenured police chief in Jersey City at nine- and one-half months. His short tenure was not because of lack of competence, energy or accomplishments. During this short tenure, with the assistance of his stellar command staff which included, Deputy Chief Joe Delaney, Deputy Chief John Cory Short, Capt. Joe Ascolese, Lieutenants Kelly Chesler, Jay White, and Pat Macarthy, much was achieved and with many accomplishments.

According to Chief Cowan, his short tenure was three-fold:

• 
Cowan declined to permit the public safety director, Jim Shea, to run the day-to-day operations of the department which was not in his job description under Title 40

• 
Cowan refused to improperly deploy resources of the Jersey City Police Department to shut down major roadways as ordered by Mayor Steven Fulop.

• 
Cowan refused Fulop’s requests to commit several improper acts related to his office that would have been in furtherance of his failed ambitions to be governor of New Jersey.

After his demotion and being sent back to his civil service rank as deputy chief, Cowan told how Public Safety Director Jim Shea had him moved into an “office” that was actually a supervisor’s locker room. He was provided a very old computer in the locker room for his use, although he was assigned no real work, his guess is Fulop and Shea thought this was a proper way to treat a 35-year veteran officer and long-time resident of Jersey City. They did not get the best of Cowan, because the locker room he was assigned as an office, after having been demoted from the chief’s position, was in better condition than some of the police precincts he worked in over his career!

Robert Cowan was born in 1960 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Having grown up in the Greenville section on Seaview Avenue, Robert’s dad, the late Jersey City Police Department Captain James Cowan, raised four boys. His four sons all became Jersey City Police supervisors, Mark, Tom, Jim and Robert. Capt. James Cowan was the commander of the West District, the busiest precinct in New Jersey. Jim was the first of the Cowan sons to come onto the police department through a competitive testing process involving written, physical fitness, psychological and medical testing as well as a thorough background investigation. Cowan laughed when he heard members of the public or others insinuate that his dad was involved with getting the “Cowan Boys” hired at the department and then used his influence to get them promoted. Cowan followed his brother Jim to the police academy in 1979, with his brother Mark hired in 1985 and Tommy in 1987. Cowan and his brother Tom were both promoted to deputy chief through the civil service process. While his brother Mark was promoted to captain and Jimmy to sergeant. Very often they all studied together.

Chief Cowan retired in October 2014 and formed a private investigations firm shortly afterward. Cowan Investigations specializes in litigation consultation as well as divorce-related matters such as alimony/cohabitation investigations and child custody. Amazingly, Cowan Investigations has really taken off over the past year. Cowan and his wife, Liz, work day and night. Recently, Cowan had the good fortune to sign on his former colleague, retired Capt. Joe Ascolese, as the North Jersey operations manager of Cowan Investigations. Although he truly enjoyed his 35 years with the Jersey City Police Department, mostly in patrol, he says, “I am enjoying the pension check as well as running a successful business, most of the time dressed in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt.” He also enjoys his two boxers, Zeus and Hercules.

Valerie A. Stetz (Velazquez) retired on accidental disability from the Jersey City Police Dept. She was injured in a radio car accident responding to a robbery in progress call. Valerie is a member of the NJ Police Honor Legion. She is the radio host for the popular Internet show “BLUE World Uncensored” on DDV RADIO. She is also the Public Relations Manager for NJ Blue Now Magazine. Valerie is married, with a son and daughter.

Cultural Entitlement: The Age of “Expectation” By Lt. Anthony Espino

We are experiencing a culture of entitlement in this country. Every time I watch news outlets, I hear the cries of “poor me.” Many people in America are looking for handouts, too lazy to go out and earn their own money. Hey, let’s tax the rich; they don’t need all that money. Sure, let’s punish those who work hard and are driven to succeed in life.

This type of rhetoric is quickly changing the mindset of the American people. Instead of looking for ways to better themselves or looking for ways to help others, they are looking for ways to get the government to help them. Self-reliance has been replaced by reliance.

There are many Americans who depend on the government. They see themselves as victims and carry themselves in a manner that would suggest as much. Illegal immigrants believe they’re entitled to opportunities in America regardless of following the laws to enter the country legally. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for immigration, but it has to be done lawfully. This great country was built by immigrants, but those people came here legally and willing to contribute to society. They worked hard, respected and loved this country.

We have college students believing their tuition should be free. I’m all for that, considering I have a daughter in college and another going next year. Free higher education in the United States may sound like a great idea. For nearly a century after federal land-grant colleges were first established in 1862, many public institutions were free, or nearly so. Now, with more than $1 trillion in U.S. student loan debt and growing, this has put constraints on both young people’s futures and the economy.

An entitlement culture makes life comfortable, removing that feeling of desperation. In my opinion our children, seniors, men and women of the armed forces, law enforcement, emergency personnel, firefighters and churches are the only members of our society who are entitled to anything.

Let’s think about our parents and their parents and so on who have made many sacrifices over the years so that we could have a better country than the one they inherited from their predecessors. Our law enforcement families proudly put on that uniform every day, working hard to keep our cities and towns safe. Our firefighters bravely run into burning buildings and homes risking their lives to save others. Our brave men and women of the Armed Forces are fighting enemies from all over the world, risking their lives to protect our freedoms. Our churches, regardless of your religion, are preaching the good and lifting up our communities. Our emergency personnel treat the injured and sick regardless what time of day it is. Lastly, remember our children who are America’s future.

We have many people talking about health care as being a right. That’s a tough topic to touch on. I would like to see everyone have the ability to be treated for certain diseases and illnesses, but unfortunately the burden would fall on the hard-working taxpayers. What medicines and treatments would be covered? How much would the taxpayers be expected to fund of it? Those are questions for Congress to figure out. In my opinion, I believe those deserving of free health care are the elderly, armed forces, disabled vets and our children.

By providing free housing, free cellphones, free food, free money and free health insurance, how is this incentive to work? How is this fair to those who do work and struggle to pay for all those things themselves? When we’re born, it’s our parents’ responsibility to provide for us. When we are grown it is our responsibility. When did it become the government’s right to make working-class people take care of everybody? Who is going to care of those working-class people?

We need to teach young people to aim high, work hard, and that good things come to those who strive to be successful in life. I don’t want to hear about rights or fairness, because in America we’re allowed too many things, and have taken for granted those things as a result.

America should have a culture of entrepreneurship, not a culture of entitlement. For America to be successful, we need a lot more of one, and a lot less of the other.

Lt. Anthony Espino is a 20-year veteran police officer, assigned to the Patrol and Crime Prevention Unit. His passion is to lecture to community members, teachers, and students to promote awareness and offer tips to prevent crime and victimization.

Traditional Japanese Karate-Do And why you are missing out By Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.)

Traditional Japanese Karate-Do And why you are missing out By Lt. Patrick J. Ciser (Ret.Over the years, we’ve all heard stories whether real or fabricated, about the prowess, or lack thereof, of karate black belts. As a boy in the ‘60s, I remember hearing stories of black belts returning to America after fulfilling their military obligation in Japan or Korea. Their hands now were considered “deadly weapons” and they even had to “register their hands” with local authorities (I’m not making this up). There was one particularly dangerous individual, just ask him he’ll tell you, named “Count Dante.” How mystical! (I’ll leave his real name out of this article) He took ads out in magazines explaining how he could teach you “Dim Mak” and “Iron Palm!” This, of course, would make you almost as deadly as he was.

There were many other notable black belts out there that were the top tournament fighters, and the “real deal” in the 1960s, namely; Chuck “Carlos” Norris, Mike Stone, Joe Lewis, Thomas La Puppet, Frank Smith, James Yabe, Lois Delgado and Skipper Mullins, to name a few. These individuals put their skills to the test each time they stepped into the ring. Full contact karate and kickboxing matches in the 1970s would, “up the game” and bring more respect and legitimacy to the martial arts world. Joe Lewis, Jeff Smith, Bill “Superfoot” Wallace, Howard Jackson and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, were a few of the top world champions back then. Eventually, we would see the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in its infancy. Mostly “ham and eggers” would step into the ring where we saw various matchups, including, karate vs. sumo, kung-fu vs. tae kwon do; boxing, wrestling and jiu jitsu, would round out the combatants. Royce Gracie became a popular jiu jitsu champion, as he seemed to confuse all of the “stand-up” fighters making the rounds. Aside from Ken Shamrock and maybe a couple others, he never seemed to fight the best of the best from the martial arts world. However, these “championships” controlled by the Gracie family, as we came to find out, successfully elevated Brazilian jiu jitsu higher than Japanese jiu jitsu. Then, Dana White and company took over and brought in, ostensibly, the best fighters in the world. WOW! We thought! These guys ain’t playing!

I believe in the individual, more than I believe in one system being better than the others. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, trained in my system of Koeikan karate for 12 years, and was an accomplished wrestler in college before he decided to go into the Octagon. He has “Koeikan” tattooed on the side of his head. He then trained in kempo and jiu jitsu, in an effort to increase his skill, speed, and grappling. Chuck would’ve been the champ in his heyday regardless of the style he practiced, why? Because he had heart, determination, and a strong will to win. Machida and St. Pierre also came from a traditional karate dojo.

So that’s enough about how we got here, in the arena of sport karate/martial arts. Now, let’s talk about why you should be in a karate dojo.

For years there was jiu jitsu; later, ju do was founded. Later yet came darate jitsu and karate do. Do, pronounced “dough” meaning “The Way.” So, ‘The Way of the Empty Hand’ was to be seen as a path to self-improvement. The training was rigorous and austere, leading many to give up and quit. As the years went by, however, the military jitsu, continued to give way to the “Do.” This enabled children to participate as experts molded these youngsters into respectful, model citizens. Pediatricians often tell parents to get their ADHD son or daughter into a traditional/structured karate dojo (school). For adults, karate can be the closest thing you’ll find to the “Fountain of Youth.” In a karate dojo, yes, you’ll get a little bruised up. And while more serious injuries can occur with those students who lean toward combat karate, you won’t normally see spinal or neck injuries that can occur more in a mixed martial arts school. I believe that “stand up” fighting is better for police officers, as you wouldn’t want to fall on your gun or mace canister taking someone to the ground. Stand up fighting is also better against multiple attackers; just be quick, and keep your head on a swivel. Karate practitioners many times continue to train and do their kata (forms) right into their 60s and 70s. How many other sports can give you that kind of longevity? Think about it, and be safe out there.

Pat Ciser is a retired lieutenant from the Clifton Police Department, and a 7th Degree Black Belt. He was a member of 5 U.S. Karate Teams, winning gold medals in South America and Europe. He is the Author of BUDO and the BADGE; Exploits of a Jersey Cop (BN.com/Amazon), and is a guest writer for Official Karate Magazine.

“Make a difference every day” By Julia Torres

Veteran Mark Levy served in the Air Force as a Security Police (MP) dog handler. Upon being honorably discharged, he became a member of the Orlando Police Department’s Blue family bringing his invaluable military experiences with him while later developing new skills in the civilian sector.

Most folks know that a law enforcement officer wears many hats. One day the job may entail being a social worker, counseling youth against wayward behavior; a negotiator, balancing the art of a plea deal for a confession; a justice seeker, providing testimony to ensure conviction. All these actions serve to sharpen an individual’s career, adding future possibilities. In his present twelve-year police career, Mark was no different, except for beginning to employ the learned entrepreneurial abilities while on the job.

His compassionate nature for kids who “are in a tough spot with no control over their situation” combined with a love for mountain biking led him to a life-changing idea. Mark believes, “trying to give people a hand up is better than giving them a hand out”. His champion approach of “teaching them skills on mountain bikes to help overcome obstacles on the trail will give them the confidence to overcome obstacles in life” became the beacon for Toughbiker, the 501c3 he started in 2014.

While at Orlando PD, Mark started to raise awareness for his mountain bike mentoring program—one in which his desire is to bring into schools—in addition to incorporating his love for cycling into his first 50 mile cycle run in memory of fallen officers as a way of giving back to the law enforcement community. Preparation for the Toughbiker: Fallen Officer Memorial Ride began in November 2018 culminating in a successful turnout of over 110 cyclists on February 24, 2019.

For Mark, it was very humbling to have the support of registrants, volunteers, and family members. Some remained behind preparing food for the event’s completion; others led or followed the group, blocking streets and shouting encouragement as riders cycled against wind on local streets and highways.

The halfway point at a public supermarket parking lot presented the riders bananas and mandarins to release muscle tension, along with water for hydration. Within fifteen minutes, they were off again for the remaining 25 miles until they arrived at the finish line where music, food, and eager volunteers cheered their arrival.

Indeed, Mark’s core belief to, “make a difference everyday” was more than met as those who gathered shared in camaraderie and celebratory conversation. One can expect greater things to come in the near future from the individual who simply stated wants, “to do my small part”.

If you would like to learn more, check out https://www.toughbiker.com/

For information on the Orlando Police Department, log onto their site:

http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/

Julia Torres earned a Master of Science in Homeland Security with a certification in Terrorism Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University; a Jersey City State College, K-12 Teacher Certification; and a Bachelor of Arts Visual Arts from Rutgers University, where she enlisted in the Army Reserves. Upon graduating Rutgers, she began a career in law enforcement, and later volunteered for the Gulf War. Once home, she worked undercover until retiring in 2001 due to a Gulf War illness. Since then, she has done volunteer work, acted, and written two non-fiction books.