Bill Text: NY A04419 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires the employers of police officers to provide such officers with a bullet proof and knife proof vest that provides front, back and side protection.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 25-13)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-09-04 - enacting clause stricken [A04419 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-A04419-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 4419 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y February 3, 2011 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. P. RIVERA, WEISENBERG, ORTIZ, ROBINSON, SAYWARD, PHEFFER, MARKEY, SWEENEY, JOHNS, N. RIVERA, COLTON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, BENEDETTO, BRENNAN, BURLING, BUTLER, CAHILL, CROUCH, ENGLEBRIGHT, FINCH, FITZPATRICK, GALEF, GIGLIO, HAYES, KOLB, LATIMER, LUPARDO, MAGNARELLI, MAYERSOHN, J. MILLER, MILLMAN, NOLAN, PEOPLES-STOKES, PERRY, RAIA, REILICH, REILLY, WEINSTEIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring that all police officers be provided with bullet and knife proof soft body armor vests; and to repeal subdivision 13 of section 837-d of such law relating to members of the division of state police THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. The section heading of section 837-d of the executive law, 2 as added by chapter 84 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 Soft body [ballistic] armor vests for police officers. 5 S 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 837-d of the executive 6 law, as added by chapter 84 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as 7 follows: 8 (b) "Vest" means a soft body [ballistic] armor vest, WHICH COMPLIES 9 WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION; 10 S 3. Section 837-d of the executive law is amended by adding a new 11 subdivision 1-a to read as follows: 12 1-A. EVERY POLICE OFFICER SHALL BE PROVIDED WITH A VEST BY HIS OR HER 13 EMPLOYER. EVERY SUCH VEST SHALL BE BULLET PROOF AND KNIFE PROOF; PROVIDE 14 FRONT, BACK AND SIDE PROTECTION; AND BE DESIGNATED AS NOT LESS THAN A 15 LEVEL III-A VEST BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE. ANY VEST WHICH 16 DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY 17 DISCARDED AND BE REPLACED WITH A VEST WHICH COMPLIES WITH THIS SUBDIVI- 18 SION. EVERY EMPLOYER OF POLICE OFFICERS SHALL CONDUCT MONTHLY EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00280-01-1 A. 4419 2 1 INSPECTIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE VESTS WORN BY ITS POLICE OFFICERS ARE IN 2 COMPLIANCE WITH THIS SUBDIVISION. 3 S 4. Subdivision 3 of section 837-d of the executive law, as amended 4 by chapter 503 of the laws of 1991, is amended to read as follows: 5 3. Reimbursement shall be made only for vests which at the time of 6 purchase meet or exceed the minimum standards and specifications in 7 effect on that date as prescribed by rules and regulations promulgated 8 pursuant to subdivisions six and six-a of this section, and shall be 9 limited to the total amount appropriated for such purpose. Reimbursement 10 for any vest shall not exceed an amount which in the judgment of the 11 commissioner would be the cost of a vest conforming to minimum standards 12 and specifications in effect at the time the vest was purchased. 13 Selection of vests shall be a determination to be made by the applicant 14 in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the commission- 15 er. Such rules and regulations shall provide that, subject to the 16 provisions of subdivisions six and six-a of this section, the applicant 17 [may] SHALL select [from a range of] vests [including those] commonly 18 known or classified as [type I, type II-A, type II or] type III-A in 19 such standard classification systems as the national institute of 20 justice standards for ballistic AND KNIFE resistance of police body 21 armor AND WHICH PROVIDE FRONT, BACK AND SIDE PROTECTION. 22 S 5. Subdivision 6 of section 837-d of the executive law, as amended 23 by chapter 555 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as follows: 24 6. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations prescribing standards 25 and specifications for vests and procedures for vest selection by and 26 reimbursement to applicants. In promulgating such regulations, the 27 commissioner shall give due consideration to: 28 (a) the maximum total weight of a vest which provides adequate 29 protection against ballistic AND KNIFE penetration and trauma, and which 30 may be worn in comfort throughout an eight hour tour of duty; 31 (b) the ballistic specifications which the vest or any part thereof 32 must be capable of defeating which shall include, but not be limited to, 33 the ballistic specifications of any firearms considered to be standard 34 issue to eligible police officers; 35 (c) THE KNIFE PERFORATION SPECIFICATIONS WHICH THE VEST OR ANY PART 36 THEREOF MUST BE CAPABLE OF DEFEATING; 37 (D) THE REQUIREMENT THAT VESTS SHALL PROVIDE FRONT, BACK AND SIDE 38 PROTECTION; 39 (E) THE REQUIREMENT THAT VESTS SHALL BE DESIGNATED AS NOT LESS THAN A 40 LEVEL III-A BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE; 41 (F) the testing procedures appropriate to determining the effective- 42 ness of such vests; 43 [(d)] (G) the labeling requirements for the vests and component parts 44 thereof; and 45 [(e)] (H) the commercial availability of conforming vests. 46 S 6. Subdivision 13 of section 837-d of the executive law is REPEALED. 47 S 7. This act shall take effect immediately.