ASSEMBLY, No. 2974

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MAY 12, 1997

By Assemblymen ROBERTS, BLEE, Kramer, Dalton, Impreveduto, Assemblywoman Turner, Assemblyman Garcia, Assemblywoman Quigley, Assemblymen Gusciora, Romano and Assemblywoman Cruz-Perez

An Act to provide body armor for certain corrections officers and supplementing chapter 17B of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. a. The Commissioner of Corrections shall provide for the issuance of personal protective body armor to all corrections officers.

    b. To facilitate the timely issuance of this body armor, the commissioner shall establish a distribution schedule which provides for the distribution of protective body armor to every State corrections officer within nine months of the effective date of this act. In establishing that distribution schedule, the commissioner may give first priority to corrections officers assigned inmate supervision and control responsibilities in maximum security correctional facilities and second priority to those officers assigned inmate supervision and control responsibilities in medium security correctional facilities.

    c. Corrections officers hired after the initial distribution of personal protective body armor authorized in this section shall be issued such armor prior to being assigned to a correctional facility.

    d. On and after the first day of the 13th month following the effective date of this act, no State corrections officer shall be assigned any duties or responsibilities in any State correctional facility unless that officer has been issued personal protective body armor.

    e. As used in this section "personal protective body armor" means a puncture resistant body vest, individually fitted to the particular corrections officer, that is designed to provide thrust, slash and penetration protection. At a minimum, the vest shall be capable of withstanding the following penetrations (1) an awl thrust at 39 foot-pounds; (2) an ice pick thrust at 40 foot-pounds; and (3) a boning knife thrust at 10 foot-pounds.

    2. Replacements for the initial personal protective body armor distributed to State corrections officers pursuant to the provisions of this act shall be provided from grant moneys made available for that purpose from the "Body Armor Replacement" fund established pursuant to PL. , c. (C. ) (now pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. 1856 of 1996) and shall be distributed in accordance with the schedule established therefor by the Attorney General.

    3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Corrections $2,000,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides for the initial issuance of personal protective body armor to all State corrections officers.

    Under the provisions of the bill, the Commissioner of Corrections is to distribute personal protective body armor to all State corrections officers within nine months of the effective date of the bill. In establishing the distribution schedule for this body armor, the commissioner may give first issuance priority to corrections officers assigned inmate supervision and control responsibilities in maximum security correctional facilities and second priority to those officers assigned inmate supervision and control responsibilities in medium security correctional facilities.

    The bill further provides that one year after the effective date of the bill, no State corrections officer may be assigned any duties or responsibilities in any State correctional facility unless that officer has been issued personal protective body armor.

    Corrections officers hired after the initial distribution of body armor pursuant to this bill are required to be issued such armor before being assigned to a correctional facility.

    Replacement of this body armor will be governed by the availability of grant moneys and the distribution schedule developed under the provisions of the "Body Armor Replacement" fund program set forth in Assembly Bill No. 1856.

    Personal protective body armor is defined as "a puncture resistant body vest, individually fitted to the particular corrections officer, that is designed to provide thrust, slash and penetration protection. At a minimum, the vest shall be capable of withstanding the following penetrations: (1) an awl thrust at 39 foot-pounds; (2) an ice pick thrust at 40 foot-pounds; and (3) a boning knife thrust at 10 foot-pounds."

    Finally, the bill appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Fund to cover the purchase cost of providing personal protective body armor to all State corrections officers.

Authorizes issuance of protective body armor to all State corrections officers; appropriates $2,000,000.