County Police Unions Endorse Gary Schaffer

OCEAN CITY — Cape May County Republican sheriff candidate Gary Schaffer on Thursday, Sept. 18 announced that he picked up four key endorsements from major police unions in the area. The endorsements from Cape May County and Ocean City Policemen Benevolent Associations Local 59 and Local 61 represent the two police unions that represent the majority of police departments in the county.
According to a release, the Cape- Atlantic Policemen Benevolent Association County Conference has also endorsed Schaffer for sheriff. This conference encompasses all the local PBA unions in Cape May and Atlantic counties. The New Jersey State Policemen Benevolent Association also endorsed Schaffer for sheriff.
PBA Local 59 cited Schaffer’s “35 years of service to the public safety community and his thorough understanding of the needs of the law enforcement community and the citizens of the county.”
In addition to praising his accomplishments as director of the Public Safety Training Center, the endorsement stated, “Director Schaffer’s commitment to the public safety community earned him the 2001 Gene Carte’ Award for his life time contributions to the criminal justice system of … New Jersey. He has had a direct hand in teaching or supervising the instruction of just about every law enforcement officer in Cape May County from patrol officer to Chief. His networking ability at this point among law enforcement personnel in this county is unprecedented.”
PBA Local 61 also referred to Schaffer’s 35 years of service to the law enforcement community as a police officer in Ocean City and director of training for the county. The union looked at Schaffer’s management, organizational skills and community-based programs that he has developed in making their candidate selection.
In addition to the networking he has developed, the union looked at Schaffer as having a thorough understanding of management and union needs that they believe places him in a unique position to effectively lead the Cape May County Sheriff Department.
“I intend to oversee the construction and rehabilitation of the Cape May County Correctional Center in the most effective manner with the safety of our officers in mind as well as ensuring the taxpayers get the best result for their money,” Schaffer stated.
Beyond overseeing the Correction Center project, Schaffer pointed to his commitment to other areas of responsibility as the county sheriff.
“I plan to improve technology at the correctional center and improve security at the court house. I will work to make our animal shelter the finest in the state. I will institute educational programs for senior citizens, traffic safety and enforcement as well as gang education for students, teachers and parents,” Schaffer stated.