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Editorial - a shot at Kearny cops?


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This was in today's paper. Something worth reading and maybe it takes a shot at the KPD.

A tragedy magnified

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

It is always tragic when police officers die in the line of duty. But the deaths of Jersey City officers Robert Nguyen, 30, and Shawn Carson, 40, were all the more painful because they occurred on Christmas night, and even more so in that the men, both single, had volunteered to work so that married officers could spend the holiday with their families.

Both died because they were trying to prevent members of the public from being injured or killed.

Nguyen and Carson had delivered flares and cones to Kearny police officers on the Kearny side of the Lincoln Highway Bridge. The 51-year-old span had been damaged two days earlier, when a postal truck struck the Kearny-side barriers that stop motorists when the bridge is open to boat traffic. Kearny police were halting motorists when the bridge was elevated as they had in the past when there was a problem.

After Carson and Nguyen delivered the supplies and wished their Kearny counterparts a merry Christmas, they climbed into their truck and headed back to Jersey City, apparently unaware that, in the meantime, the bridge had been opened for a tug boat. It was raining heavily and a thick fog enveloped the area as they drove off. The officers' vehicle plunged 45 feet into the frigid Hackensack River.

Even though the deaths were an accident, why they happened must be investigated thoroughly. The bridge operator, who was on site, and Kearny police officers on the scene may be able to fill in the blanks.

It is clear already that everything that could have gone wrong, did.

The state Department of Transportation also must do some soul-searching. The heavily traveled bridge is a driver's nightmare. It is narrow, without a shoulder on either side, and is pocked with potholes.

The double loss affects not only the police department but Jersey City as well. Both grew up in the city they served and graduated from parochial high schools. Carson was a 16-year veteran of the force and coached track at St. Peter's Preparatory School, his alma mater. Nguyen, a graduate of Hudson Catholic High School in the city, was the department's first Vietnamese officer.

The death of any police officer in the line of duty is a cause for sadness. That these officers died because of a confluence of events on Christmas night only adds to that sorrow.

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This was in today's paper. Something worth reading and maybe it takes a shot at the KPD.

A tragedy magnified

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

It is always tragic when police officers die in the line of duty. But the deaths of Jersey City officers Robert Nguyen, 30, and Shawn Carson, 40, were all the more painful because they occurred on Christmas night, and even more so in that the men, both single, had volunteered to work so that married officers could spend the holiday with their families.

Both died because they were trying to prevent members of the public from being injured or killed.

Nguyen and Carson had delivered flares and cones to Kearny police officers on the Kearny side of the Lincoln Highway Bridge. The 51-year-old span had been damaged two days earlier, when a postal truck struck the Kearny-side barriers that stop motorists when the bridge is open to boat traffic. Kearny police were halting motorists when the bridge was elevated as they had in the past when there was a problem.

After Carson and Nguyen delivered the supplies and wished their Kearny counterparts a merry Christmas, they climbed into their truck and headed back to Jersey City, apparently unaware that, in the meantime, the bridge had been opened for a tug boat. It was raining heavily and a thick fog enveloped the area as they drove off. The officers' vehicle plunged 45 feet into the frigid Hackensack River.

Even though the deaths were an accident, why they happened must be investigated thoroughly. The bridge operator, who was on site, and Kearny police officers on the scene may be able to fill in the blanks.

It is clear already that everything that could have gone wrong, did.

The state Department of Transportation also must do some soul-searching. The heavily traveled bridge is a driver's nightmare. It is narrow, without a shoulder on either side, and is pocked with potholes.

The double loss affects not only the police department but Jersey City as well. Both grew up in the city they served and graduated from parochial high schools. Carson was a 16-year veteran of the force and coached track at St. Peter's Preparatory School, his alma mater. Nguyen, a graduate of Hudson Catholic High School in the city, was the department's first Vietnamese officer.

The death of any police officer in the line of duty is a cause for sadness. That these officers died because of a confluence of events on Christmas night only adds to that sorrow.

Actually the Story was incorrect, the 2 Jersey City Officers were delivering Flares and Cones to a Jersey City unit, and a Port Authority unit who were blocking the Kearny side. Between the time they crossed the Hackensack Bridge into Kearny, Dropped off the equipment, and said their Holiday greetings, the Bridge Tenders raised the Bridge without their realizing it..when they tried to return to Jersey city, the had no inclination that the bridge had already been raised. Talked to a friend on KPD about this the other day, the Bridge tenders would call both Kearny and Jersey City, and whoever got to the bridge first would close it. Apparently the Kearny car was on an assignment when DOT called, and Jersey City handled the closure. The only fault from what i've seen and read about this falls onto DOT who didnt want to call out a repair crew on a Holiday weekend to fix the arm that blocks the roadway when the bridge goes up that had been damaged sometime over the weekend.

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Actually the Story was incorrect, the 2 Jersey City Officers were delivering Flares and Cones to a Jersey City unit, and a Port Authority unit who were blocking the Kearny side.  Between the time they crossed the Hackensack Bridge into Kearny, Dropped off the equipment, and said their Holiday greetings, the Bridge Tenders raised the Bridge without their realizing it..when they tried to return to Jersey city, the had no inclination that the bridge had already been raised.  Talked to a friend on KPD about this the other day, the Bridge tenders would call both Kearny and Jersey City, and whoever got to the bridge first would close it.  Apparently the Kearny car was on an assignment when DOT called, and Jersey City handled the closure. The only fault from what i've seen and read about this falls onto DOT who didnt want to call out a repair crew on a Holiday weekend to fix the arm that blocks the roadway when the bridge goes up that had been damaged sometime over the weekend.

Thanks Al.

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