Sheriff's Office Delays Plans for Armored Vehicles

Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino today announced his plan to delay the deployment of an armored vehicle that the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office has been approved for. This is following a call by the United States Attorney General, as well as the State Attorney General of New Jersey to review the federal 1033 surplus property program.

While this Office will be in full compliance with the pending review, the blatant manner in which Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan has decided to politicize this issue goes against the best interests of the safety of the residents and law enforcement personnel of Bergen County.

“The recent remarks made by the County Executive are yet another example of her putting politics over public safety,” said Sheriff Saudino. “If she truly believes that armored vehicles have no place on the streets of Bergen County, she would immediately cease the use of the armored vehicles currently in use by the Bergen County Police, a department she oversees. It would be hypocritical for her to not do so.”

Donovan was quoted on NJ.com as saying, “that we as a county don’t need and should not have military armor meant for war on our streets.”

The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, in light of the events in Missouri, and prior to accepting delivery of these vehicles, has worked diligently to draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure that these vehicles will be deployed properly. In drafting these SOPs, we have worked collaboratively with community leaders such as Anthony Cureton, President of the Bergen County NAACP.

“Throughout my more than 40 years in law enforcement, I have upheld my sworn duty to protect the public, as well as the men and women under my command,” said Sheriff Saudino. ”I have always vowed that I would never compromise public or officer safety. I also take my duty to work cooperatively with all law enforcement very seriously. The Acting State Attorney General of New Jersey, John J. Hoffman, has clearly recognized that the deployment of these vehicles has saved lives.[1] Nevertheless, he is undergoing a review of how these vehicles are deployed, and I maintain that duty to cooperate.

Sheriff Saudino calls upon the County Executive to cooperate with the Attorney General’s review by heeding Freeholder Board Chairman David Ganz’s request to publicly release the County Police’s Standard Operating Procedures for the use of their armored vehicles.

“It is unequivocal that the County Police vehicles, according to manufacturer LENCO, are in fact, military vehicles[2],” said Sheriff Saudino. “Any other assertion is a lie. I remain committed to working cooperatively with all law enforcement agencies for the betterment of the community. We look forward to the completion of the Attorney General reviews.”