LIEUTENANT ROBERT CHRISTIE AND THE UNION POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAFFIC BUREAU TEAM ARE BEING HONORED AT THE UNION TOWNSHIP CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 60TH ANNUAL DINNER DANCE & INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS AT THE GALLOPING HILL INN, UNION, NEW JERSEY ON APRIL 10, 2015. THEY HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO RECEIVE THE PRESTIGIOUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE “SPIRIT OF UNION AWARD”.
BORN AND RAISED IN UNION, BOB CHRISTIE REMAINED LOCAL, ATTENDING UNION HIGH SCHOOL, KEAN UNIVERSITY AND UNION COUNTY COLLEGE. IT WAS DURING HIS COLLEGE YEARS THAT HE MET THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, ALLISON BASHFORD WHILE VOLUNTEERING FOR THE UNION EMS. LOVE BLOSSOMED INTO MARRIAGE AND TWO CHILDREN, SAMANTHA AND ROBERT, JR.
IN 1984, BOB BEGAN EMPLOYMENT AT MEMORIAL GENERAL HOSPITAL (LATER UNION HOSPITAL) AS AN ER AND OR ORDERLY, WHILE COMPLETING A PARAMEDIC DEGREE. HE LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE HOSPITAL’S MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AS A FULL-TIME PARAMEDIC. (DURING OFF TIME FROM HIS POLICE DUTIES, HE STILL SERVES AS A PARAMEDIC). IN THE MID 1980’S, HE SERVED AS A PART-TIME SPECIAL POLICE OFFICER FOR THE UNION PD. IN 1989, HE BRIEFLY LEFT UNION TO TAKE A POSITION WITH THE BRIDGEWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT – BUT A YEAR LATER, HE WAS BACK FULL-TIME WITH THE TOWNSHIP OF UNION POLICE DEPARTMENT.
DURING HIS 25 YEARS WITH THE UNION PD, LT. CHRISTIE’S MOST GRATIFYING ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDED SERVING AS THE LEAD ADVISOR FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S YOUTH EXPLORER PROGRAM, AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING AND TEACHING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S DARE PROGRAM. SIX YEARS AFTER JOINING THE UNION PD, HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF SERGEANT, AND STARTED A POLICE BICYCLE PATROL TEAM. JOINED BY A TEAM OF FOUR OTHER PATROLMEN, THE CADRE UNDERWENT SPECIALIZED TRAINING TO POLICE THOSE AREAS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO TRADITIONAL CAR PATROLS. IT ALSO BROUGHT A NEW LEVEL OF INTERACTION WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ALSO LAUNCHED DOZENS OF BIKE RODEOS AT SCHOOLS, A RIGOROUS SAFETY HELMET PROGRAM AND A “TOUR OF THE TOWNSHIP” WITH AN ANNUAL BIKE TOUR FOR ALL AGES.
CURRENTLY, LT. CHRISTIE SERVES AS TRAFFIC BUREAU SUPERVISOR, HEADING A DEPARTMENT THAT IS COMPRISED OF A FOUR-PERSON MOTORCYCLE SQUAD, 12 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS AND A FATAL ACCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM. THE BUREAU ALSO EMPLOYS, TRAINS AND SUPERVISES 60 CROSSING GUARDS. SHARING THE SPIRIT OF UNION AWARD WITH BOB ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAFFIC BUREAU, WHO WORK AROUND-THE-CLOCK TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE MOTORING, BICYCLING AND WALKING PUBLIC. LT. CHRISTIE AND HIS TEAM ARE CALLED UPON REGULARLY TO ORGANIZE AND COORDINATE SPECIAL EVENTS WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP. WHETHER IT BE A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT, A REVOLUTIONARY WAR REENACTMENT, A FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION, PARADE, STREET FAIR, DWI CHECKPOINT, SOAP BOX DERBY OR 5K RUN, BOB AND HIS TEAM ARE BEHIND THE SCENE FROM START TO FINISH, HELPING TO MAKE EACH EVENT SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE.
ON THEIR OFF-HOURS, OFFICERS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE SQUAD OFTEN VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO ASSIST MANY FRATERNAL AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS WITH FUND-RAISING EVENTS AND ESCORTING MOTORCYCLE RIDES SUCH AS THE 9/11 FOUNDATION, ROLLING THUNDER, TOYS FOR TOTS, SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH RUN AND CHILDREN’S SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL, TO NAME A FEW. THE CHAMBER IS PROUD TO HONOR ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE UNION POLICE DEPARTMENT – WITH A SPECIAL NOD TO LT. CHRISTIE AND HIS TEAM FOR THEIR SUPPORT EACH YEAR OF THE MAYOR’S DAY 5K RUN. THE “SPIRIT OF UNION AWARD” RECOGNIZES THE TRUE SPIRIT OF SELFLESSNESS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE THAT IS ALIVE AND ACTIVE 24 HOURS A DAY – MAKING THE TOWNSHIP OF UNION THE GREAT PLACE THAT IT IS!