By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
Princeton Township police do more than catch the bad guys and patrol the roads to keep area residents safe; they look for other ways to help their community.
The department was recognized with an award from the Community Blood Council of New Jersey for its blood drives that collected 33 units of blood, which can help almost 100 people.
”It’s rare that an organization can say that they saved 99 lives in a matter of months. For the Township of Princeton Police Department, this was a reality when they collected enough blood in September 2011 and February 2012 to save 99 lives in two days with the Community Blood Council of New Jersey,” said Alex Wolfe, public relations at the Blood Council. “The blood collected in September and February can be separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets, all of which can help save the life of a person in need.”
The Blood Council supplies blood and blood products to local hospitals, including University Medical Center of Princeton.
Sgt. Michael R. Cifelli, of the Community Services Bureau at the township police, arranged the blood drives.
”When I took over as head of the bureau, I had a conversation with then-Chief Buchanan and Lt. Morgan as to how we could get the department more involved at the community level,” he said. “We ran down a list of ideas including sponsoring a community blood drive, and felt it was a good way to give back to the community.”
He chose a blood drive because it could be organized very quickly.
”We were looking for something that we could to right away, instead of trying to plan something long-term. We also wanted to do something that would have an impact on the Princeton Community as opposed to something on a larger level,” said Sgt. Cifelli. “We made the call to Janet DiStefano at the Community Blood Council in Ewing and we had a date and details set within a matter of hours.”
For the sergeant, it’s just another way to help the community where he works.
”It’s an honor to be recognized for the effort, but recognition certainly isn’t the reason we organized these blood drives,” he said. “As police officers, we work for the people in the town, and this was just another way of doing that.”
Township officials are proud of the officer’s commitment to the community.
”Sgt. Cifelli did a great job organizing this drive and both his and the department’s efforts will go a long way in helping to save lives and restore health to those in our community,” said Township Mayor Chad Goerner.
The officer wants to continue to help and is working on organizing another drive in the summer.
The police helping their community doesn’t stop at blood drives. The officers are also organizing a bike rodeo on May 19 to promote bicycle safety to township youth.
Officers will conduct bicycle safety inspections, give a safety talk by local police, teach children how to become better bicycle riders and give out free helmets to the first 50 children ages 5 to 12 that register.
Attendees can participate in a bicycle “safety course,” a simulated road course marked that stresses the use of hand signals, right of way out on the parking lot of the township municipal building.
The event is also sponsored by Princeton Human Services, Princeton Borough Police, Princeton Recreation Department and Greater Mercer TMA.
Parents can register their children by visiting the township’s website for the forms.
