Officer reflects on 23 years in police dept.
BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

METUCHEN - After 26 years in law enforcement- 23 years with theMetuchen police department - Cpl. John Franklin, 51, said he is ready to move on.

"I'm not sure what I want to do … I've been thinking about working with kids again," said Franklin as he was on routine patrol in the police department's new 2007 Dodge Charger on May 28.

Franklin's last day on the job was June 6. His official last day is July 1.

Franklin received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice and corrections administration withminors in social work and sociology from Trenton State College, now The College of New Jersey, Ewing.

"I did not always want to be a police officer … the only person that I knew in my family who was a police officer was my uncle, who served for 40 years with the Linden Police Department," he said. "But I did know that I wanted to work with the public in some capacity."

Franklin grew up in Metuchen, went through grade school and middle school at St. Francis Cathedral School, and is a graduate of Metuchen High School.

The corporal went through the Middlesex County Police Academy and began his law enforcement career at the Skillman Training School in the late 1970s.When the school closed, he started working as a juvenile corrections officer at the Somerset County Detention Center in the early 1980s.

"As a juvenile corrections officer, it was hard to turn these kids around, and when you did, they would go back to the same place they came from and come back more hardened…it became very frustrating," he said.

Franklin, who was still living in Trenton at the time, began applying to different police departments across the state.

"I had the opportunity tomake the decision on whether I wanted to stay in Trenton and work in the city or go back home and work in Metuchen … I still had ties to the borough, since my parents still lived there."

In August 1985, Franklin became a Metuchen police officer.

"I made the right choice," he said. "As a police officer, I was working in a different capacity than as a juvenile corrections officer. We are first responders [to various incidents], which I am most proud of because as everyone knows, the patrol division is the backbone of every police department."

Franklin added that he is proud of the borough's services to the people, including the fire department and the first aid squad.

"We have great volunteer organizations," he said.

Franklin said he is going to miss the interaction he had with people while walking the beat.

"I met my wife Joanne [Yoschak] walking the beat 21 years ago," he said. "She also grew up in the borough, but we did not know each other at the time. You become acquainted and friendly with all the people, and you see in my case two generations of kids grow up - and now they are working on the third generation."

Franklin added that it is amazing how many people he has met through his children [Katie, 15, and Trish, 14] playing sports in the borough.

"These people have become friends," he said. During a routine stop at the Fresco's Italian deli on Main Street on May 28, Franklin had a friendly chat with owner Tony Bransky.

"John was the first officer wemet before we even opened five years ago… he saw us working on the place and came in," Bransky said as he rang up a customer. "His family comes here for their regular chicken Caesar salads."

Franklin smiled and said, "Fresco's is the only place to go."

While at Fresco's, Franklin's good friend Maria Harrison walked in.

"John will be sadly missed," she said. "He is a very good police officer and very much a people person. Our families know each other through our kids who go to school together…we even went on vacation together to Disney World in Florida."

Franklinmade a stop at the Variety Village store onMain Street to wish Nick Ferrara the best of luck on his own retirement this year. Ferrara opened his store in June 1984.

Jay Vaticano, owner of Vaticano Shoe Repair on Pennsylvania Avenue, said he has known Franklin since his store opened 10 years ago.

"He is a good guy, nice to everybody, and has a great family," he said.

Franklin said the police department has built a rapport with Vaticano and employees at the Metuchen Taxi stand.

"We have become the neighborhood watch," said Vaticano.

Franklin said the most memorable incident that occurred in his 23 years as a police officer in the borough was the Durham Woods gas pipeline explosion in 1994. The fire burned for three days.

"It was 10 minutes to midnight and my shift was almost over," he said.

Just before midnight March 23, 1994, a portion of a 45-mile-long gas pipeline owned by Texas Eastern Transmission, Houston, exploded at the spot where it runs alongside the Durham Woods apartment complex in Edison.

The fire destroyed eight buildings, displaced 1,500 residents, and caused $25million in property damage.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities officials said the catastrophic damage was all caused by unsafe digging, likely done by a backhoe, which resulted in a hole 1 1/2 inches long and 1/5 inch deep in the pipe. Officials said gas escaped at the rate of 270 pounds of pressure per square inch, and the fires burned as hot as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I jumped right back into the police car," said Franklin. "It was a scary and long night. You could see the flames on Liberty Street. There were people in the two factories filled with workers that we needed to evacuate."

Franklin said he did not get home until daylight.

"We heard the rumbling, and it was some sight when you saw these people coming toward you in their pajamas with this huge fire ball behind them … it was like a movie," he said.

Franklin said the St. Francis CYO building was used as a makeshift shelter.

Franklin said that when he started with the police department, their presence at the schools was minimal.

"About 15 years ago, the idea of community policing came about," he said. "I think it is great for us to be involved in the schools. The more we have gone into the schools, the less heads turn. It's almost expected that we be there, and it breaks down the distance between you and the kids."

Franklin said he plans to take the next two months off and spend time with his family before his next job.

"I'm anxious about retiring," he said. "My family is also, since they haven't seen me in any other capacity other than being a police officer."

Franklin, who plans to continue to live in the community, said he is looking forward to normal work hours for his next job.

"As a police officer, you have to work a lot of holidays. I have worked numerous Christmas days and on New Year's Eve; I have missed my kids' birthdays and the Fourth of Julys," he said.

As for his last day as a police officer, Franklin said it was a bittersweet feeling.

"But I'm ready to move on," he said.