Police Headquarters Dedicated to Captain Jimenez
On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 a dedication ceremony was held in the Roselle Park Council Chambers honoring Roselle Park Police Captain Manuel “Manny” Jimenez.
Police Chief Daniel McCaffery officiated the event. Below is an excerpt of his remarks. The ceremony can be viewed in full on the Roselle Park Police Facebook page.
We are here today to honor and recognize Roselle Park Police Captain Manuel Jimenez, or “Manny” as we all knew him.
Captain Jimenez was a 28-year veteran officer of the Roselle Park Police Department. During his long career with our department, he was the recipient of numerous departmental awards, and he was dedicated to his profession. Captain Jimenez was a friend, a co-worker, and leader within our department. He single-handedly moved our department forward with his initiatives, forward-thinking, and his desire to see our police department be as good as it could be. He had a hand in every facet of our department. He was extremely well-respected throughout Union County and New Jersey for his knowledge and police abilities.
After the attacks on September 11th 2001, he volunteered to go to Ground Zero. He volunteered. He wasn’t assigned there; he approached the Chief and he asked to go. He saw the destruction, the chaos, the uncertainty, and the death, and he still went. And then he went again, multiple times. He changed lives, he helped lives, he provided comfort and he ultimately paid with his own life.
Like so many others, Captain Jimenez, Manny, our friend, contracted illnesses directly related to his service at the Ground Zero World Trade Center Site. Manny fought a brave public fight against his illnesses, and he was an inspiration to all those that he encountered with his fighting spirit. Even towards the very end of his fight, this past summer he mustered up the strength and he traveled to Europe, and he traveled to Puerto Rico because he wanted his wife Eli to see these places with him.
We are here today to honor Captain Jimenez by dedicating our Police Headquarters in his memory. Not just because he died a hero as a result of his actions as a Roselle Park Police Officer, but for how he lived his life, and the positive impact that he had while alive.
It is my distinct honor to host this event and to unveil this plaque today which was memorialized by resolution and will be permanently, forever mounted in the outer foyer of our Police Headquarters for all those who enter to see, honor, and remember Captain Jimenez.
