Berkeley To Make Good Use Of Grant Money From Fund Memorializing Late Summit Detective

Berkeley Township police will use a special state grant established in the memory of a Summit police detective to help pay for a "Manitou Park Family Unity Day" coming up on Aug. 12, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said.

The event will run from noon to 8 p.m. and will include lunch and dinner cookouts, games, bike safety inspections and free bike helmets for children who need them, the mayor said.

"We're pleased that we have received this grant from the Attorney General's Office," Amato said.

State Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said that 28 police department received the first round of the Detective Matthew L. Tarentino Community Policing Grant Program. Tarentino, a Summit police officer and a champion of community policing, died in a motor vehicle accident on May 30.

The first round of grants totaled $219,122. The grants will be paid for with forfeiture funds, he said.

Berkeley received $9,449 in funds and was the only department in Ocean County to receive the grant. Amato credited Berkeley Lt. Ryan Roth for handling the grant application.

The Berkeley PBA and the township recreation department will co-host the Aug. 12 event.

Photo: U.S. Attorney General's Office of New Jersey