Response Time
A conversation with a prominent NJ State PBA member
This month :
Mountain Lakes Local 310 State Delegate Sam Trimble
The Vitals
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Born in Teaneck
Served four years in the U.S. Marines
Hired to Mountain Lakes Police Department in January 2001
Mountain Lakes Local 310 State Delegate since 2015
Wife, Sandra, and two daughters, Emilia, 10, and Samantha, 8
F irst Response
After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September, you joined
a statewide effort to respond. What were those 15 days like?
The New Jersey State Police was in charge of organizing the trip. I knew as soon as we
landed that they were going to take care of us. It was just a pleasure to work with everybody
there and really help the people of Puerto Rico. It was amazing to see that even while we’re
out there handing out food and water to people who had nothing, they were coming up to
us with their water bottles asking us if we were thirsty and thanking us for being there.
These are people who were two months without power or running water, yet they’re asking
if we’re OK.
Conversation pieces
How did you get involved in the Hurricane Maria response?
I was asked to go because I am part of our Morris County Emergency Response Team. The
team needed Spanish-speaking officers, so a member from my prosecutor’s office asked if
I would be interested. I knew Puerto Rico was in bad shape, so I checked with my family to
make sure it was OK with them and then committed.
How did you become fluent in the Spanish language?
I’m an Irish guy that nobody ever expects would speak Spanish, but my wife is from Spain.
When we started dating I said, “Let’s start practicing some phrases.” Once we had our
children, I decided I didn’t want to speak English in the house anymore. The only reason I
really picked it up was because of (my wife’s) hard work and forcing it in the house. If you’re
immersed in it and it’s something that you want for your kids, you can make it happen.
Do you find that being bilingual has benefited you on the job?
Everybody in my area knows that I speak Spanish, so they’re always calling up to say, “We
need you to come down here and help these people out.” Just dealing with law enforcement
sometimes can be difficult (for civilians) because they’re nervous or scared, but it’s even more
challenging when there’s a language barrier. Being able to come into a room and reassure
people that everything’s OK by speaking Spanish to them is definitely a big help.
Do you feel that responding to Puerto Rico is a part of fulfilling your
duty as a PBA leader?
The job of an officer is not just about making arrests and putting people in jail. It’s being
there to help people. We were there to take care of the people of Puerto Rico when they
needed it most. It may have been different than everyday police work, but I think 99.9
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percent of law enforcement officers who come into this job feel the same way that I do. We’re
just here to help people any way we can.
What other achievements have helped you on the job?
I graduated from college in December. I got my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the
College of Saint Elizabeth. It was a promise I made to my kids to show them how important
it is go to college and the value of getting an education. For the past three years I’ve been
taking classes, and I finally graduated.
Did you share experiences on the job in class?
It was very good to hear some of these younger-generation kids and their perspective on
how things work, or how they thought things worked. I would give my advice in class as
a law enforcement officer and somebody who has been in the industry for a long time.
I learned a lot listening to them, and I hope they learned something from me as well by
getting that perspective that (officers) are human beings and the last thing we want to do is
hurt anybody.
Last Response
What do you find more rewarding about being a State Delegate and
serving the PBA?
The amount of work you put in as State Delegate is a lot, but I think the amount of change
that you can make, not just in the police department, but with the state, is tremendous. You’re
the one who is really helping to enforce these decisions and building connections with other
Locals and agencies. We have some great leaders running the State PBA, and I’m extremely
glad to be a part of this family.