Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir today announced a new public-private partnership that will raise approximately $2 million to purchase more than 18,000 new bullet-resistant vests for New York City Police Officers. This effort will provide National Institute of Justice Certified Threat Level II vests for members of the Force hired before 1989, when the new model was first introduced. The Level II vest is the minimal level vest capable of stopping 9mm rounds.
Joining the Mayor and Police Commissioner at Bellevue Hospital were contributors to the public-private partnership including Thomas D. Mottola, President, Sony Music Entertainment and Lewis Rudin, Co-Chairman, of Rudin Management and long time Trustee of the New York Police Foundation. Also on hand were Pamela Delaney, Executive Director, New York City Police Foundation and several members of the Police Department whose lives have been saved by bullet-resistant vests.
"Today, we are here to talk about an important new partnership for the City, a new initiative to upgrade bulletproof vests for thousands of New York City's Finest," Mayor Giuliani said. "Each day, officers are confronted with uncertainty --never knowing when a situation might turn dangerous or deadly. These officers, who put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of this City, deserve state-of-the-art protection. But the reality is thousands of officers have not yet been issued state-of-the-art bullet resistant vests. Those who joined the force before July 1989 have been using two-panel Level I vests rather than Level II vests, which all recruits, post 1989, are equipped with.
"The City and the private sector decided together that it was time to do something about this. That's why we've joined in this partnership to equip thousands of officers with the protection they deserve. The Police Foundation's new fundraising campaign is an investment in the future of the City. It is a protection we owe every member of the Force because they put their lives on the line for us each and every day. I want to thank Commissioner Safir, the New York City Police Foundation and everyone whose hard work and financial support is making this initiative possible," the Mayor concluded.
The initial need for the 18,000 new vests will cost approximately $4 million, roughly half of which will be financed by the City, and half by the private sector.
Police Commissioner Howard Safir said, "While crime has been reduced by more than 47 percent over the past five years, that does not mean that police work is any less dangerous. Today's criminals are more desperate and better armed than ever before. Each day, New York City Police Officers willingly face danger so that the rest of us do not have to. I call on all New Yorkers to help us protect the men and women that protect us - New York's Finest."
Thomas Mottola said, "It is our responsibility to protect those who work so hard to protect us, and today we have a perfect opportunity to do exactly that. Every day in this City -- and in cities across the country -- police officers put their lives on the line to safeguard our homes, our families and our businesses. I encourage every New Yorker to contribute to this extremely important cause."
Pamela Delaney said, "The Mayor and the Police Commissioner have returned our City to a place where people want to work and raise a family. Any contribution, even one dollar, will help protect our officers."
Founded in 1971, the New York City Police Foundation works to support the Police Department efforts to strengthen its relationship to the community and promote public safety in New York City. Through the support of individual businesses and philanthropies, the Foundation has been able to invest over $16 million in police projects to help the Police Department improve the quality of its service to the public.
Individuals or groups interested in donating to the Vest Fund should call the New York City Police Foundation at (212) 751-8170.