By Diane C. Walsh
The Star-Ledger
Ballistic shields protected a phalanx of Edison police officers as they darted into a community center today in a mock demonstration of the new bulletproof protection, which is now standard issue in all township patrol cars.
The Edison Police Department is the first in the state to be fully deployed with the shields, officials said today as the 20-pound pieces of equipment were displayed. A federal grant was used to buy the 33 shields -- one for every police cruiser in the sprawling 30-square-mile suburb.
Police Director Brian Collier said in his experience police officers never lack courage, but unfortunately they often lack protection. The new shields would enable first responders to act swiftly and effectively, he said. The shields “provide a defense for individual officers to take the offense safely and immediately to confront and terminate a threat,” Collier said.
The shields would be invaluable anytime there is a shooter, a barricaded suspect, a suicidal person or any incident in which a police officer needs to gain entry quickly to suppress the situation, said Sgt. Robert Dudash, a police spokesman.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration uses the shields routinely on its raids. As a former DEA agent, Collier was familiar with the shields’ capabilities and recognized how useful they could be to local law enforcement.
“While it is our desire that these shields never be used, today Edison has become a safer community with the addition of this equipment,” said Mayor Jun Choi.
Each shield is 34 inches high and equipped with a battery-operated light. It is made of a bulletproof material and can cost more than $2,000 each. But Edison was able to buy its shields at a reduced rate of $1,000 each as part of the New Jersey National Guard Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program. Collier thanked the National Guard today as the township’s “backseat partner” in the new initiative.
Gerard McAleer, special agent in charge of the DEA, said his officers would train the Edison police in the proper use of the shields. For today’s demonstration, two shields were used to protect five officers. Two officers held the shields with one hand and pointed their mock weapons with the other. Three other officers moved behind them, also protected by the devices.