Lacey Chief Grateful for Elks' Donation Of Ballistic Shields

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Lacey Police Chief Michael C. DiBella will put the Lacey Elks' recent donation of two ballistic shields to good use.

The shields will be used by the department's narcotics unit to help protect officers during search warrants, DiBella said.

"At the forefront, ensuring that my officers are protected and go home safely to their families is most important to me at the end of the day," the chief said. "Having access to additional ballistic shields takes us one step closer."

The Elks made the donation at the Jan. 12 Township Committee meeting.

Lacey made roughly 175 illegal drug arrests in 2017 and conducted more than a dozen search warrants, the chief said.

"Since becoming Chief of Police, decreasing the heroin epidemic has become and will continue to be my number one priority," DiBella said. "In comparison to other towns our size, Lacey Township does not have a larger problem with heroin than anyone else. However, Lacey Township's name comes up a lot because we are doing everything we can here to minimize the problem."

The department began its first narcotics unit in 2016. They also began the L.E.A.D. program ( Law Enforcement Against Drugs for sixth-grade students at the Mill Pond School, partnered with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's Blue Hart program, worked with Young People in Recovery of Ocean County (YPR) and recently assigned its first school resource officer at Lacey Township High School.

"Moving forward, the Lacey Township Police Department will continue to do everything we can to help decrease this epidemic," the chief said. "I would like to personally thank the Lacey Elks for their generous donation. It will certainly go a long way."

Photo: Courtesy of Police Chief Michael C. DiBella.