Lawrence police to donate vests to troops

Bulletproof protection to be added to vehicles.

By: Lea Kahn
   With nearly two dozen surplus bulletproof vests on hand, the Lawrence Township Police Department plans to donate them for use as liners on military vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
   Chief of Police Daniel Posluszny said it is "absolutely" a good idea to donate the bulletproof vests, as requested by Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey last week. The New Jersey Army National Guard Armory on Eggerts Crossing Road is one of three drop-off locations statewide for the vests.
   Gov. Codey has urged local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to donate used vests to strengthen armor on some military vehicles in Iraq. Some groups have already begun campaigns to collect the vests.
   While newly manufactured Humvees have been fitted with additional armoring on the side, top and undercarriage before being shipped to Iraq, older Humvees lack that additional armor, said Lt. Col. Roberta Niedt, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The department is located on Eggerts Crossing Road.
   Kits are available to strengthen the armoring of the older Humvees that are already in Iraq, but those kits only address the side and top of the vehicle, where one would most likely be attacked, Lt. Col. Niedt said.
   Lately, insurgents have been preparing bombs that they detonate when a Humvee passes over it — and that’s why there is a need for the bulletproof vests, she said. The soldiers use the bulletproof vests to reinforce and line the floor of the Humvee.
   Meanwhile, Chief Posluszny said the Police Department replaces the bulletproof vests on a regular basis with the help of state and federal grant funds. A vest has a shelf life of about five years, he said.
   But the vests are still useful, even after the five-year warranty has expired — particularly if they are going to be used to line military vehicles as protection against bombs, Chief Posluszny said.
   Gov. Codey said the response to the call for bulletproof vests has been both enthusiastic and generous. The plan is to gather up the vests from all three armory drop-off locations — the Lawrence Township armory, as well as armories in West Orange and Atlantic City — and get them to the soldiers as quickly as possible so the soldiers may return home to their families.
   Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, the adjutant general of New Jersey, said the vests are only needed for use on military vehicles. Every soldier that has been sent to Iraq has his or her own personal body armor, he said.
   "These brave men and women are risking their lives in the name of freedom," Gov. Codey said. "This is one way we can demonstrate our support and appreciation for the sacrifices they are making on behalf of our nation."