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.
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