By John Burton
FREEHOLD – Police chiefs from around Monmouth County are hoping chiefs in neighboring counties will follow their lead and dump freezing cold buckets of water over their heads for a good cause.
As 32 of 43 members of the Monmouth County Police Chief’s Association took up the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Friday, Sept. 5, they also offered their moral and financial support to a retired chief who’s battling the disease.
The association president, Aberdeen Chief John Powers, offered words of support for Daniel Scimeca, the former Manasquan police chief, now retired, who has ALS.
“We love you and pray for you,” Powers said, as police academy staff video recorded the challenge undertaken by the chiefs, all in their department uniforms.
Powers also sent out word to others to accept the challenge, particularly the chiefs of police in Middlesex and Ocean counties.
The chiefs’ ice bucket challenge participation “was a way of showing Danny he has our support and we’re thinking of him,” along with raising awareness about the condition, said Powers about the event, held at the county academy at 2000 Kozloski Road.
“For us, it was more personal” because of what Scimeca and his family are going through, said Atlantic Highlands Chief Gerard Vasto, the association’s secretary.
The association planned to upload the video to YouTube, hoping to encourage others, especially law enforcement, to take the challenge and make a financial contribution, Vasto said.
The group also challenged the academy’s current recruit class. “So, they’ll probably do it sometime soon,” Vasto said.
In addition, the chiefs are promoting a fundraiser for Scimeca, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, at Leggett’s Sand Bar, 217 First Ave., Manasquan.
The money the challenge effort will raise is certainly a good thing, Powers said. “If you multiply everyone of us by 100 (dollars), it’s a fair amount of money.” Generally, those who have participated also have written checks to the ALS Association, often $100, and video the dumping of water and ice over their heads.
According to the ALS Association’s website, $111.6 million has been donated through Sept. 10 through the challenge.
Sea Bright Chief John Sorrentino was the first to raise the idea of participating in the ice bucket challenge during a recent association meeting. The idea was enthusiastically endorsed by members, Powers said.
Thankfully, last Friday was particularly warm, Powers and other chiefs agreed.
“I don’t think there’s a way to really prepare for it,” Powers said. But then, he thought, “Some of us have done the Polar Bear Plunge,” the annual fundraising dip in the winter Atlantic Ocean. “So that’s a little bit of preparation.”
“It was a hot day so it wasn’t so bad,” Red Bank Police Chief Darren McConnell said. “In November, maybe it would be another matter.”
“I’ll do it again,” Sorrentino said while toweling off his shaved head.
“It was cold,” Fair Haven Chief Darryl Breckenridge said.
Breckenridge said the challenge had special meaning to him because former Fair Haven Lt. Bob O’Neil, now deceased, had been diagnosed with the disease. “So, it means a lot more to me,” he said.
