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For Immediate Release:  
For Further Information:
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October 4, 2006  
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791
Office of The Attorney General
- Stuart Rabner, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Gregory A. Paw, Director
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Grants Awarded to Municipal Police Departments
to Replace Defective Bullet-resistant Vests
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TRENTON – Attorney General Stuart Rabner announced today that the Division of Criminal Justice is distributing nearly $184,000 to 21 local police departments to replace potentially defective bullet-resistant vests with new protective vests.

The grants are being provided to ensure that all law enforcement and corrections agencies in New Jersey have replaced any vests containing Zylon®. Vests containing that brand of synthetic fiber have been declared potentially unsafe by the U.S. Department of Justice because some have been found to degrade more quickly than forecasted, reducing their ability to stop a bullet or a knife.

The Division of Criminal Justice provided notice about the special round of grants to all eligible state, county and local law enforcement and corrections agencies, as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts, which oversees probation officers. It fully funded every request received that was based on a need to replace body armor vests containing Zylon®.

“Police officers put their lives on the line each day to keep the people of New Jersey safe,” said Attorney General Rabner. “It’s only fitting that we do all that we can to keep our officers safe. This round of grants caps a comprehensive outreach and replacement effort that has sought to ensure that no New Jersey officer is vulnerable because of defective body armor.”

“Staff members from the Division of Criminal Justice have been working diligently since late 2003, when safety concerns were first raised about these vests, to ensure that agencies throughout the state were informed and provided with opportunities to replace the vests with body armor meeting current federal standards,” said Division Director Gregory A. Paw.

More than $3.5 million was distributed in each of the last three years from the state’s Body Armor Replacement Fund, which was established in 1998 by legislation and is funded through a $1 surcharge on traffic tickets and forfeitures of bail. The special funding announced today is in addition to the regular annual round of grants, which will be announced later this year.

In addition to providing dedicated state funding, the Attorney General’s Office, through the Division of Criminal Justice, has alerted affected agencies in New Jersey about federal grants and has worked with the National Association of Attorneys General in legal actions to get manufacturers to reimburse agencies for defective vests or provide warranty exchanges.-2-

The cost of body armor varies, but the minimum grant amount is $500. The standard vest issued to troopers by the State Police costs $659.

The following grants have been awarded:

    1. Avon-By-The-Sea $12,000
    2. Belleville $5,038
    3. Beverly $649
    4. Cranford $8,351
    5. Elmwood Park $4,524
    6. Franklin Township (Hunterdon Co.) $1,382
    7. Freehold Township $22,239
    8. Haworth $4,250
    9. Jackson $21,134
    10. Long Branch $6,151
    11. Manasquan $903
    12. Metuchen $500
    13. Neptune Township $33,392
    14. North Arlington $1,574
    15. North Wildwood $1,947
    16. Phillipsburg $9,030
    17. Point Pleasant Borough $13,881
    18. Rockaway Township $3,894
    19. Sea Bright $5,126
    20. Trenton $20,119
    21. Washington Township (Morris Co.) $7,900
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