No. 54
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VICTORIA A. FLYNN
District 13 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman GERRY SCHARFENBERGER
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Honors Trooper Werner Foerster and all fallen officers; designates August 19th of each year as “Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day.”
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
A Joint Resolution honoring the life and service of Trooper Werner Foerster and all the officers who have died in the line of duty, and designating August 19th of each year as “Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day.”
Whereas, Werner Foerster was born on August 19, 1938 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany; and
Whereas, Trooper Foerster was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in the United States Army from December 8, 1963 to December 8, 1965; and
Whereas, Trooper Foerster joined the New Jersey State Police as a member of the 82nd State Police Class on July 24, 1970, serving for almost three years before he was killed in the line of duty; and
Whereas, Trooper Werner Foerster died in the line of duty on May 2, 1973 from gunshot wounds sustained in an altercation with suspects on the New Jersey Turnpike; and
Whereas, Trooper Foerster is survived by his wife and two children, and was buried in the Washington Monumental Cemetery in South River, New Jersey; and
Whereas, An additional 198 officers have died in the line of duty in New Jersey since Trooper Foerster's death; and
Whereas, The family of Trooper Foerster and the families of all fallen officers mourn, now and forever, the lives sacrificed in service; and
Whereas, The lives of the loved ones and families left behind are forever changed; and
Whereas, We honor Trooper Werner Foerster, the lives of all officers who lost their lives upholding the tradition of honor, duty, and fidelity, and their families who continue to mourn their loss; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. August 19th of each year is designated as “Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day” to honor the life and service of Trooper Werner Foerster and all officers who have died in the line of duty.
2. The Governor is respectfully requested to issue a proclamation each year recognizing August 19th as “Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day” in New Jersey and calling upon public officials and citizens of the State to observe the day with appropriate events.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to all members of the New Jersey State Legislature.
4. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution designates August 19th of each year as “Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day” to honor the life and service of Trooper Foerster and of all officers who have died in the line of duty.
Fallen Trooper Werner Foerster was born on August 19, 1938 in Leipzig, Germany. He served in the United States Army and in the Vietnam War from December 8, 1963 to December 9, 1965 before joining the New Jersey State Police. Trooper Foerster joined the State Police on July 24, 1970 and was a member of the 82nd State Police Class. He had served for two years and 10 months when he died in the line of duty on May 2, 1973.
Trooper Foerster is survived by his wife and two children. He is buried in the Washington Monumental Cemetery in South River, New Jersey.
This joint resolution honors the life and service of Trooper Foerster and all fallen officers and their families.