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75 Martine Avenue, Fanwood, NJ 07023 - 908/322-7773 FAX - 908-322-2200 or 908-889-6359 Safety Wings | Tony Parenti , Editor MEETING NOTICES: Board Of Directors: The next meeting is at the call of the President. Next Regular Business Meeting: The Next Regular Business Meeting is on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2005, 10:00 AM at THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER IN ATLANTIC CITY. After the meeting we are invited to tour the Police Security Expo as guests of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. Invite as many guests as you please to attend the meeting and the expo. As usual there will be cash and equipment prizes donated by vendors. Also remember that we do not meet in July and August unless there is pressing business. Plan to attend our September meeting when Horizon Signal Technologies, Inc., will demonstrate a new portable traffic signal that is MUTCD compliant, radio controlled and can operate on fixed time or in traffic actuated mode. It has a hand held remote option to increase worker safety while maximizing traffic flow. It even has a work zone horn that gives an audible cue to workers that the light is changing.  HOW GOOD ARE NJ DRIVERS: A nationwide test has confirmed what many New Jerseyans may already know just from driving on the state's highways: Motorists here tend to have a sketchy understanding of the rules of the road. In fact drivers in only two other states are less knowledgeable than garden state residents, according to a study by GMAC Insurance. One out of 5 drivers from New Jersey and other states in the northeast U.S. failed a two-part test. GMAC estimated about one of ten drivers nationwide would fail a written driver test. Specific test results were not available, but the study found that only Massachusetts and Rohde Island residents tested worse than New Jersey. COP RECOVERS HIS STOLEN CAR: An off-duty Charleston, S.C. police officer on a Sunday drive in his police car, saw something awfully familiar - his recently stolen Volkswagen Jetta. North Charleston patrolman Ethan Bernardi whipped his cruiser around and pulled over the stolen vehicle. He called other deputies, who arrested three suspects, police said. "One of the advantages to having off-duty police officers using their patrol cars while off-duty is that they are able to respond to crimes when needed," North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt said. Investigators don't know how the suspects got the car, which was recently stolen from Bernardi's home. The driver, Vicki K. Grooms, 42, and two passengers were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.  UNITED WE STAND LICENSE PLATES: The "United We Stand" license plates benefit the Rewards for Justice Program, that provides reward money for reliable information that leads to the capture of terrorist, and terrorist plots. The "United We Stand" license plate program offers citizens an easy, visible way to show their patriotism and fight terrorism with the proceeds collected from the plate going to the Rewards for Justice Fund. To get your plates, just go to any motor vehicle agency with your current plates and registration and pick up the new" United We Stand" plates, or call 888.486.3339 (toll free in New Jersey) on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for an application to request the plates through the mail (out of state call 609.292.6500). Plates cost $50 with an annual $10 renewal fee. You can order personalized plate with up to five characters for $100 and a $10 yearly renewal by mail. LOOKING BEYOND THE TRAFFIC TICKET: While Holmdel Police were conducting safety belt stops on Route 520 they apprehended a fugitive who failed to attend a hearing where he was to be sentenced for endangering the welfare of a child in February 2004. The violator, of Long Branch, was charged with hindering apprehension after Cpl. Walter Weber pulled over the car in which he was riding because he wasn't wearing a safety belt. He is being held on $100,000 bail for a warrant in Monmouth County and $2,500 bail for the hindering apprehension charge. He also was wanted for $1,400 in traffic violation warrants out of Long Branch.  As of Week 20, 2005 , there were 189 fatalities recorded on NJ roads compared to 196 during the same period in 2004, DECREASE OF 7 BODIES. .
As of this report, there were 115 driver deaths, 35 passengers, 34 pedestrians, 05 motorcycle drivers, 00 motorcycle passengers, and 00 pedacyclists. There were 189 fatalities in 175 crashes. POLICE TEST FLASHLIGHTS THAT DETECT METAL, TOO: Four Florida police officers are testing a new equipment that not only illuminates a scene but also sheds light on what a suspect might be hiding. Tactical Scanners, Inc. of Canyon Lake, Texas, designed the lightweight 9-inch flashlights that vibrate and flash a red light when metal is detected up to 3 inches away. Police said they found a small penknife hidden in a wad of paper during a pat-down. Product distributor John Bruno knows Palm Bay police Chief William Berger and asked the city to test the lights, which cost about $200 each. The lights will be on display at the Police Security Expo in Atlantic City.  EMERGENCY VEHICLE WARNING LIGHT STUDY: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, announced the United States Fire Administration (USFA), started a follow-up study on Emergency Warning Lighting Systems with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). They will continue the work of the original research project initiated in 2003. This second phase of the project will continue to research how to effectively mitigate the disorientation of motorists caused by day and nighttime use of emergency warning lights, through design, technology, and operating practices. The second phase includes issues of lighting color and emergency vehicle visibility. This issue of color includes the red and white color lighting traditionally used by the fire service and EMS, but will also include the use of other colors such as yellow typically used for construction and tow vehicle warning, as well as blue, used by police, and other colors. The issue of lighting and vehicle visibility will also be studied to include how warning lights work with retro-reflective striping, chevrons, high-visibility paint colors, and so on. All emergency lighting systems will be examined in this study - including incandescent, halogen, strobe, and light-emitting diode (LED) systems. Research findings from this project will be shared with national-level consensus standards organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and others in the development of relevant/related standards. Further information about this research initiative may be found on the USFA Web site at:http://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/media/2005releases/042105.shtm. 
COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSE "H" ENDORSEMENT LICENSE EXTENSION: The MVC is implementing a Commercial Driver License (CDL) background check for approximately 60,000 New Jersey CDL holders with a hazardous material endorsement (HME). This check is under provisions of the USA Patriot Act and is mandatory for HME holders for all commercial driver classes A, B and C as noted on the back of the CDL. The new Federa1 Standards require HME holders be fingerprinted and undergo a comprehensive background check to obtain and/or retain a HME on their CDL. As of April 1, 2005, the MVC required all current HME holders with a CDL expiration date of June 30, 2005, to complete the background check. One of the provisions of the Patriot Act is that the state must issue an extension to current HME holders if there is a delay in processing of the fingerprint background check. The extended license will look exactly like the current digital commercial driver license; however, it will be valid for only 45 days. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR BULLET PROOF VEST AND SAFETY BELTS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS |