The end of watch for Trooper Anthony Raspa was May 30, 2015. They say time heals all wounds. For the Raspa family, the world will never be the same since losing a beloved son and brother. But the grief over Anthony's loss has turned into a positive mission to help young people realize their dreams.
On Sunday, I joined the Raspa family, Mom and Dad, Sal and Elizabeth, and Anthony's sisters and brother-in-law, Tina, Stephanie, Maria, and Gordon. Jodi and I were honored to be invited to help the cause.
Our good friend Mona and her daughter Nina made the introduction. Nina is close friends with Anthony's youngest sister, Tina.
Trooper Raspa's watch ended when his vehicle struck a deer on Route 195 in the middle of the night 8 years ago.
The "cigar night" was held at The Brownstone Bar & Grill on Middlesex Ave in Metuchen.
Events like this are critical for a number of reasons. First, to keep Anthony's memory alive and honor the sacrifice and life that he lived. Second, to raise money to "pay it forward" to the next generation of young people pursuing their dreams. And third, to remind everyone how important our law enforcement heroes are to our society.
It's time that we stand up strong for all law enforcement members. We need to end bail reform and stop the revolving door of dangerous criminals exiting our jails endangering neighborhoods and making policing that much harder. We need to enforce federal detainer orders and arrest those illegals who are accused of crimes beyond immigration status. We need to empower police officers to investigate and detain young people abusing drugs and alcohol and inform parents directly. We need to fill all judicial vacancies and end the backlog of criminal cases. We need to arrest all convicted criminals released BEFORE the end of their sentences during the lockdowns. We need to reinstate any first responder terminated over so-called "COVID protocols" and vaccine status with back pay.
And we need to implement a cost-of-living adjustment for our retired heroes. No cop should be forced to move out of New Jersey in retirement because they can't afford to live here. Remember, there is a thin line between civilization and savagery and that line is Blue.
You can help the Anthony Raspa Foundation by emailing Sal Raspa at SalRaspa@gmail.com