Major Kornelis “Korky” Vander Ploeg (Retired), enlisted in the New Jersey State Police in December of 1977. During his tenure with the NJSP he was assigned first as a road duty uniformed trooper serving in the rural communities of Sussex County, and then later served in a highway patrol capacity on both the busy interstate highways that connected into and out of New York City as well as toll road duty on the Garden State Parkway. Later in his career he served in the Executive Protection Bureau, providing security for three different Governors: Thomas H. Kean, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he was assigned to supervise the NJSP support team that assisted the Port Authority police with security at Newark/Liberty International Airport, the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. He finished his 27+ year career with the NJSP in the Administration Section rising to the rank of Major and was part of the NJSP Command Staff from where he retired in July of 2005.
After his retirement, Vander Ploeg entered the corporate world, going to work for Prudential Financial where he provided security to the Chairman and CEO. He retired from Prudential as Executive Security Director in April of 2020 and continues living in northern New Jersey with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife attend Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, N.J. where he has served as a deacon and elder and is currently part of the worship team.
A graduate of Eastern Christian High School, Korky holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Rockland Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from William Paterson University.
All content for NCS Bergen County is the property of NCS Bergen County and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Major Kornelis “Korky” Vander Ploeg (Retired), enlisted in the New Jersey State Police in December of 1977. During his tenure with the NJSP he was assigned first as a road duty uniformed trooper serving in the rural communities of Sussex County, and then later served in a highway patrol capacity on both the busy interstate highways that connected into and out of New York City as well as toll road duty on the Garden State Parkway. Later in his career he served in the Executive Protection Bureau, providing security for three different Governors: Thomas H. Kean, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he was assigned to supervise the NJSP support team that assisted the Port Authority police with security at Newark/Liberty International Airport, the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. He finished his 27+ year career with the NJSP in the Administration Section rising to the rank of Major and was part of the NJSP Command Staff from where he retired in July of 2005.
After his retirement, Vander Ploeg entered the corporate world, going to work for Prudential Financial where he provided security to the Chairman and CEO. He retired from Prudential as Executive Security Director in April of 2020 and continues living in northern New Jersey with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife attend Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, N.J. where he has served as a deacon and elder and is currently part of the worship team.
A graduate of Eastern Christian High School, Korky holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Rockland Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from William Paterson University.
Travis ("Pronk") Hafner played in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter and first baseman for 12 seasons. A left-handed hitter, Hafner played for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees. His nickname, "Pronk", was given to him by former teammate Bill Selby during spring training of 2003 when people sometimes referred to him as "The Project" and other times "Donkey" for the way he looked when running the bases. With Don Mattingly he shares the MLB-record for grand slams in one season (6).
Pronk was born in Jamestown, ND in 1977 and attended a small high school which did not have a baseball program. He was valedictorian of his high school class of eight students. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 31st round of the 1996 draft. In the winter of 2002, the Rangers traded Hafner to the Indians. Hafner had a breakout offensive season in 2004; as the primary DH in the Indians' line-up, he finished the season in the top ten in the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles, extra base hits, RBIs and batting average.
In 2006, Hafner hit home runs in six straight games from September 18–24, the second longest such streak in Cleveland history. After the season, the Cleveland chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named him Indians Man of the Year and he finished fifth in the AL MVP voting.
On February 1, 2013, Hafner signed with the Yankees. Despite batting 318 in April, Hafner faltered later in the season and suffered rotator cuff inflammation.
Travis and his wife, Amy, have three sons and reside in Tampa, FL. He currently serves the Cleveland Indians as a special assistant.
NCS Bergen County
Major Kornelis “Korky” Vander Ploeg (Retired), enlisted in the New Jersey State Police in December of 1977. During his tenure with the NJSP he was assigned first as a road duty uniformed trooper serving in the rural communities of Sussex County, and then later served in a highway patrol capacity on both the busy interstate highways that connected into and out of New York City as well as toll road duty on the Garden State Parkway. Later in his career he served in the Executive Protection Bureau, providing security for three different Governors: Thomas H. Kean, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. After the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he was assigned to supervise the NJSP support team that assisted the Port Authority police with security at Newark/Liberty International Airport, the George Washington Bridge, and the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. He finished his 27+ year career with the NJSP in the Administration Section rising to the rank of Major and was part of the NJSP Command Staff from where he retired in July of 2005.
After his retirement, Vander Ploeg entered the corporate world, going to work for Prudential Financial where he provided security to the Chairman and CEO. He retired from Prudential as Executive Security Director in April of 2020 and continues living in northern New Jersey with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife attend Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church in Wyckoff, N.J. where he has served as a deacon and elder and is currently part of the worship team.
A graduate of Eastern Christian High School, Korky holds an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Rockland Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from William Paterson University.
