Menendez Reaffirms Commitment to NJ Law Enforcement, Keeping NJ Safe

Newark - On the 100^th anniversary of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) gave remarks at the association's annual luncheon. In front of New Jersey's top law enforcement and private security executives, Menendez reaffirmed his commitment to continue making law enforcement a priority of his and to ensure they have the tools needed to keep themselves and our communities safe:

"Whether it's 1912 or 2012, our most basic and pressing need is to be safe. Every community needs more well-trained and well-equipped first responders to meet the needs of this still-new century," said Menendez. "I think we can all agree that the safety of our families comes first. And that means more police on the street. Period. We all know these are tough economic times: community budgets remain stretched dangerously thin and police departments everywhere are struggling to make ends meet, but we must continue to fulfill that most basic responsibility of keeping crime down, communities safe, and police on the street."

Senator Menendez led the fight for increases in federal funding for our first responders. Last year, he led the effort to fund the COPS Hiring and Byrne JAG programs which provide federal funds to local law enforcement. His efforts helped to secure $166 million in the final Justice Department spending bill for the COPS Hiring Program. Under this COPS Hiring Program, New Jersey police departments received $20.8 million which they used to hire 78 police officers in 2011. He also led the fight to secure additional funding for the Byrne JAG Program, securing $470 million for the program. This year, Senator Menendez and 27 fellow Senators requested $257.1 million for the COPS Hiring Program and $430 million for Byrne JAG Program. The Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant program has provided approximately $133.7 million for New Jersey's fire departments and $74 million has gone to hire or retain frontline firefighters in New Jersey through the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response grant program.

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