Annual Policemen's Ball set for Oct. 24

The Monmouth County Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) Conference will hold the second annual Policemen's Ball Oct. 24 at the Shadowbrook, Shrewsbury.

The black-tie event hosted by Shrewsbury PBA Local No. 308 will benefit the N.J. Cop Shot Program founded by the New Jersey State PBA this year to provide monetary rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any individual assaulting a law enforcement officer in New Jersey.

Honorees will be Robert A. Honecker, Shrewsbury, and Peter James Van Etten. Honecker will receive the Madeline Neumann Humanitarian Award for his distinguished career with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, with the Monmouth County Human Relations Commission, and for perseverance in the prosecution of hate crimes and commitment to making a difference in the lives of crime victims.

Van Etten, who died Sept. 1, will posthumously receive the Monmouth County PBA Conference Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a 25-year police officer with the Avon and Belmar police departments. He also served as a former delegate for PBA Local No. 50, a former executive board member of the New Jersey State PBA, and as a former chair of the Monmouth County PBA Conference and the board of trustees of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System.

Exclusive sponsorships and ads are still available for the ball's journal, and donations for the silent auction and raffles are also being accepted. A few event tickets still remain. For information, e-mail mcpba@comcast.net.