JERSEY CITY – U.S. Senator Jon
Corzine has secured $750,000 in federal
funding to purchase a new 44-foot aluminum-hulled
patrol boat for the New Jersey State Police,
equipped with the latest underwater and
above water surveillance technology to
enable the State Police Marine Unit to
fulfill its vital mission of securing
New Jersey’s ports and waterways,
Acting Attorney General Peter C. Harvey
announced today.
Harvey joined Senator Corzine and Capt.
Joseph “Rick” Fuentes, Acting
Superintendent of State Police, to make
the announcement at the Central Railroad
of New Jersey Terminal in Liberty State
Park, former site of the New Jersey Family
Assistance Center, which provided crucial
support after the World Trade Center attacks
to hundreds of survivors and families
who lost loved ones.
Senator Corzine secured the funding as
part of an omnibus appropriations measure
passed by Congress in February. New Jersey
is seeking federal funding for a total
of six of the new boats to replace aging
and outdated patrol boats in the fleet
of the State Police Marine Unit.
“We are grateful to Senator Corzine
for securing the money for this essential
addition to our fleet,” said Acting
Attorney General Harvey. “Since
September 11th, the duties of the Marine
Police have expanded exponentially. These
new boats are critical for the Marine
Police to meet their responsibilities
of fighting terrorism and providing emergency
response.”
“The war against terrorism is a
war that must be fought at home,”
Senator Corzine said. “It is a war
the federal government must support by
providing our first responders the necessary
tools to do their jobs well. We can't
simply talk about homeland security. We
have to back up our words with federal
dollars.
“I am committed to ensuring that
the security of our ports remains a top
priority, and I am committed to fighting
for New Jersey's fair share of available
homeland security dollars,” the
senator added.
The new boat will travel at speeds of
up to 35 knots and will include advanced
surveillance technology. That technology
will include radar, sonar, thermal imaging
cameras, underwater cameras and night
vision goggles. The equipment will enable
troopers to better detect potential terrorist
activity. For example, side scan sonar
will allow detection of objects below
the waterline that are attached to a vessel
or pier.
“The large patrol boats in our
existing fleet are old and outdated,”
said Acting Superintendent Fuentes. “They
are not suited for the 24-7 patrols that
we have found necessary to protect our
ports and critical waterways. In addition
to offering state-of-the-art surveillance
technology, the new boat will be sturdier,
faster and more reliable.”
The Marine Police maintain four main
patrol stations and five substations.
The first boat will be assigned to the
Newark Bay station to patrol the ports
and facilities in an around New York City
and Newark. The goal is ultimately to
assign four new boats to the New York
harbor area and Newark Bay and two to
the Delaware River.
Since the September 11th attacks, the
duties of the Marine Police have expanded
to include the monitoring of nuclear power
plants, commercial vessels carrying and
transferring hazardous materials, sensitive
military facilities, and other waterborne
activity that may be a potential hazard
to national security. The Marine Police
are regularly called upon to escort cargo
ships, inspect facilities, provide surveillance,
and protect the public at the major ports
and waterways.
The Marine Police protect not only New
Jersey citizens and facilities, but the
vital commerce of this region and the
nation. The Port of New York/New Jersey
is the largest port complex on the East
Coast and is located at the hub of the
most concentrated and affluent consumer
market in the world. Seven of the nine
major East Coast refineries are located
in the New Jersey tri-state area along
the Delaware River. These refineries process
over 85 percent of all refined fuel products
for the Northeast.
New Jersey shares common water borders
with New York, Philadelphia and Wilmington.
Their financial centers, airports, railways
and transportation hubs are at or near
the waters edge. Should any of these sites
be attacked, the Marine Police would need
to respond to help mitigate damage, assist
in search and recovery efforts, and provide
waterborne transportation.
Members of the State Police Marine Unit
were among the first people to respond
to the World Trade Center attacks on September
11th. Three Marine Unit members based
at the Newark Bay station – Troopers
Clark Motley, Alex Koopalethes and Joseph
DeMarino – responded immediately
after the first plane attack, risking
their lives by repeatedly crossing the
Hudson River to transport injured victims
to ambulances waiting in Jersey City.
There are two separate applications
pending with the Transportation Security
Administration to obtain federal funding
for the five additional boats. One application,
filed by the Department of Law & Public
Safety, seeks roughly $6 million for boats
and equipment to upgrade the fleet. A
smaller, overlapping application for money
for the three additional boats for the
New York harbor area was included as part
of a pending $35 million application by
the Port Authority to the Transportation
Security Administration.
# # #
