Senator Jeff Van Drew and Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak on Monday thanked elected officials from throughout New Jersey for their outpouring of support for police officers after the legislators put out the call.
The legislators had called for a show of support for police from elected officials at all levels of government and of all political affiliation in the wake of the brutal, execution-style murders of New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos on Dec. 20.
“As someone who’s worn a uniform and gone to war, I can tell you first hand that simply knowing people support your job and the mission you have to do carries with it a weight greater than the sum of its parts,” said Andrzejczak (D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland), a former sergeant in the US Army who lost his left leg to a roadside bombing during the Iraq War. “Knowing people support you and what you do energizes you in the good times, and keeps you going during the bad. I am grateful that we are able to play some small part in organizing and directing that support – and everything that it implies – to law enforcement during this difficult time.”
“When danger comes for us, the men and women in blue are the ones that run towards it while everyone else is running away,” said Van Drew (D-Atlantic/Cape May/Cumberland). “That takes a dedication and sacrifice that, too often, we overlook or downplay. So, during this terrible moment in time, to have leaders at all levels of government stand behind police officers and say ‘I support what you do,’ is a potent reminder that we understand and appreciate the risk they put themselves in every day they go to work.”
In addition to continuing their call for support for the police from elected officials from across the state, Van Drew and Andrzejczak are asking all those who have already offered their support to back a resolution the lawmakers are sponsoring that honors Officers Liu and Ramos.
[TLS]