Division Of Criminal Justice
Vaughn L. McKoy, Director

For Immediate Release:
Aug. 25, 2004

For Further InformationContact:
John R. Hagerty
609-984-1936

OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL & DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE NOTIFY STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OF BODY ARMOR
RECALL/EXCHANGE PROGRAM

Police Agencies Encouraged To Apply For $3.8 In DCJ Grants To
Purchase/Replace Life-Saving Body Armor Vests

Trenton - New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey announced that the Division of Criminal Justice has notified New Jersey's law enforcement community of a national recall/exchange program involving bullet-resistant vests manufactured by Florida-based American Body Armor Holdings, Inc. The exchange program potentially impacts vests purchased by more than 100 New Jersey police departments.

In April, Attorney General Harvey, in concert with the National Attorney General's Association and the U.S. Department of Justice, provided detailed information to New Jersey's law enforcement agencies raising safety concerns about Zylon®-based body armor vests. To date, the Division of Criminal Justice has provided a series of reports, advisories and information bulletins to New Jersey's 537 law enforcement agencies. The information recommend the replacement of Zylon®-based body armor. Additionally, Attorney General Harvey serves on the Body Armor Safety Committee established by the National Association of Attorney's General to study the issue.

"The New Jersey law enforcement community is well-served by this decision and has moved rapidly to notify all police agencies of the concerns and the specifics of the exchange program. We strongly encourage every New Jersey police agency that has purchased the ZX vest to take advantage of the exchange program," said Attorney General Harvey. "The larger issue is the fundamental effectiveness, safety, and durability of body armor manufactured with or containing Zylon®. It is encouraging that the Southern States Police Benevolent Association identified the potential weakness and that Armor Holdings agreed to the exchange program."

The Attorney General noted that a class action lawsuit filed by the Southern States Police Benevolent Association in April 2004 resulted in a settlement with American Body Armor Holdings. The legal action identified concerns regarding the use of Zylon® in body armor products distributed by Armor Holdings, Inc., including vests marketed under the trade names of American Body ArmorÔ or "ABA", PROTECHÔ, and Safariland®.

As a result of the settlement, American Body Armor implemented a "no cost" national warranty exchange program whereby police agencies can replace any purchased American Body Armor Xtreme ZX vest (Model Levels II and IIIA). The program calls for reducing the warranty period for the ZX model from 60 months to 30 months. Additionally, owners of the ZX model can exchange it for a new ZX model or any other model vest manufactured by any of Armor Holdings' three body armor brands. The settlement also contains provisions under which Armor Holdings will continue its used-vest testing program, including those vests containing Zylon®.

Under the agreement, Armor Holdings, Inc. is required to attempt to notify every registered purchaser of the suspect vests of the exchange program by direct mail and by advertising in selected trade publications. For more information, including program registration information, contact Armor Holdings Products Division at: 1-866-815-2914 or www.AmericanBodyArmor.com/zx.

Division of Criminal Justice Director Vaughn L. McKoy reminded New Jersey's police and law enforcement agencies that $3.8 million in state grant money is available through the 2004/05 Body Armor Replacement Fund Program - a statewide program dedicated to providing New Jersey police and law enforcement officers with funding to purchase or replace life-saving body armor vests.

Applications for the 2004/05 Body Armor Replacement Fund Program, administered by the Division of Criminal Justice - Grants & Program Development Section, are now being accepted. The program oversees the distribution of funds to police and law enforcement agencies seeking to purchase new and/or replacement body armor vests, including municipal police departments, the 21 county prosecutor, sheriff and correction departments, the Division of State Police, Division of Criminal Justice, Department of Corrections, county police departments and university/college police departments.

New Jersey law enforcement agencies are encouraged to apply online for 2004 Body Armor Replacement Fund grant money. For more information on the Body Armor Replacement Fund Program, or to apply for funding, log-on to the Division of Criminal Justice website at http://www.nj.gov/lps/BodyArmor.

Since the inception of the Body Armor Replacement Fund Program in 1998, the Division of Criminal Justice - Grants & Program Development Section has provided nearly $20 million to New Jersey's law enforcement community to purchase more than 13,000 new vests.

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