2018 NJSPBA Valor Awards
Local of the Year
Toms River Local 137
The Local that keeps on giving
Toms River Local honored for its relentless efforts
to help individuals, the community and other offi cers
■ BY AMBER RAMUNDO
Jesse Robertazzi knew that taking his youngest son on a train
ride to Washington, D.C. for the first time would be a special ex-
perience for many reasons. Seven-year-old Trevor Robertazzi was
infatuated with trains and eager to take an Amtrak ride. And for
the Toms River Local 137 State Delegate, the day trip in early No-
vember was also the perfect opportunity to visit the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial (NLEOM) for the first time.
The anticipation grew as Robertazzi walked toward the Memo-
rial. After 17 years in law enforcement and watching numerous
members raise money riding the Police Unity Tour, Robertazzi
knew the meaning behind this monument. He also knew that it
would be the first time he would see the name of his dear friend
and next-door neighbor, William “Nichie” Preslar, inscribed on
the Memorial wall, after the Lakewood Police Department officer
was killed in the line of duty on May 14, 2007.
Robertazzi held tightly to his son’s hand as they stood at the
NLEOM entrance. But just as Robertazzi was about to step inside,
his cellphone began to ring. NJ State PBA President Pat Colligan
was calling. The timing seemed serendipitous as Colligan shared
that the reason for his call was to congratulate Toms River Local
137 on being selected the 2018 Local of the Year.
40
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ DECEMBER 2018
“I was standing there, holding my son’s hand, listening to Pat
tell me how much the Local meant to the state and how well
we’re serving our community and fellow officers,” Robertazzi de-
scribed. “It was an amazing thing to learn at the entrance to the
NLEOM.”
Robertazzi immediately shared the news with Local 137 Pres-
ident Brian Dugan, and word quickly spread throughout the de-
partment.
“I was texting friends saying how mind-blowing it was,” Dugan
shared. “Our jaws dropped.”
Local 137 members may have been surprised to receive one
of the PBA’s highest honors, but the rest of the union was not. To
identify the supreme efforts of Toms River Local 137, members
don’t need to look much further than the pages of NJ Cops Maga-
zine, where various Local 137 fundraisers, events and charitable
efforts have marked the pages of nearly every issue.
But at the 2018 Valor Awards, the entirety of Local 137’s impact
came into focus as Colligan stood at the podium listing just a por-
tion of what the Local has done to give back to important causes
and shape positive relationships with the community.
“We’re blessed that we are motivated individuals who want to
help people any time that we can,” Robertazzi commented while