IBPO Local 307 hosts golf tournament and dinner to support, honor family of fallen officer

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On July 15, International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 307 hosted an annual golf tournament and buffet at Alpine Country Club in Cranston to raise money for a variety of charities, including community and police organizations.

Organized by Johnston Police Patrolman Mario Mennella, the event included 144 players and drew support from multiple police departments throughout the state.

The money raised from the tournament and dinner benefited organizations such as Johnston Youth Sports and Concerns of Police Survivors, or COPS, according to Johnston Detective Brian Loffredi, who also serves as treasurer of IBPO Local 307. He said $500 goes to different aspects of the youth sports and $1,000 goes to the family of Sgt. Steven Shaw, a Providence police officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty in February 1994.

According to Shaw’s father, Robert Shaw – who was presented with the $1,000 check along with the late sergeant’s wife, Maria – his son was with the Providence Police Department for five years prior to the end of his watch. Before joining the department, he was a Marine for eight years.

Shaw’s father and wife have long been involved with the New England chapter of COPS. They both are representatives from Rhode Island for the organization.

Johnston Patrolman David Slinko said COPS provides financial support and sponsors seminars for those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. The Shaws said children of fallen police officers are able to go to retreats with such seminars for free, and there is also an FBI Academy retreat those children can attend. Maria Shaw said that there are four meetings a year with the organization.

Tee-off was at 1 p.m. Monday. The tournament included a number of contests around the golf course, such as a cannon launch and a putting contest.

For the putting contest, Johnston Police Capt. Matt Benson – who also serves as secretary for IBPO Local 307 – said participants had to hit a golf ball into the hole to get a raffle ticket. Players had three shots to get tickets. After the tournament, the tickets from contests were put into a jar and pulled for a cash prize.

In the cannon launch, players had to shoot the golf balls out of a cannon. Johnston Sgt. Dana Gousie said if the ball landed on the green, the participant would receive three raffle tickets. He added that whoever was closest to the hole at the end of the day received a $75 cash prize.

A third contest was the “closest to the center line” competition, in which players sought to place their ball closest to the middle of the fairway. Johnston Patrolman Eddie Gonzalez said whoever was closest would also receive a $75 cash prize.

There was food served throughout the day. Johnston Patrolman Mike Andreozzi, who serves as president of IBPO Local 307, and Slinko said Don DePetrillo of The Original Italian Bakery donated pizza chips, spinach pies, and calzones for the event. Andreozzi said Sognalo Italian Deli and Cafe also donated food.

According to Mennella, the tournament is run by the police union and has a number of sponsors. Some of the leading sponsors were Patriot Disposal and J.R. Vinagro Corp., both located on Plainfield Pike, according to Slinko. Mennella said Briarcliffe Nursing Home also donated money for jackets for everyone, and “littler sponsors” contributed to the event as well.

During the buffet, prizes were raffled off and a silent auction was held. Some of the smaller prizes included gift baskets, while larger items included a TV, record player and sports memorabilia – some signed by New England Patriots players Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.

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