U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th District) and the White House announced more than
$42 million in FEMA funding last week to strengthen law enforcement across New
Jersey, building on the $8.5 million he previously secured for World Cup security.
Combined, Gottheimer’s office says it has clawed back more than $50 million for New
Jersey law enforcement since June.
Half of the new funding — $21 million — will go statewide to support State Police,
defray World Cup-related costs, and fund other public safety and transit initiatives. The
remaining $21 million is earmarked specifically for New Jersey's Fifth Congressional
District, covering Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties, and will fund local and county
law enforcement, transit security, and security upgrades at houses of worship and
religious schools.
The money breaks down into three broad categories. Some will go toward equipment
for police on the ground: updated radios, drones, active-shooter and mass-casualty
response gear, and K-9 training. Another portion will fund security upgrades — armed
guards, cameras, reinforced doors, fencing — for synagogues, churches, mosques,
temples and other nonprofits.
A third piece targets transportation security, including cameras, cybersecurity
protections and physical reinforcement at the Andover train station. That station is part
of a long-running Gottheimer initiative to restore rail service to Sussex County for the
first time in more than 50 years; the funding is intended to prevent security concerns
from delaying the station’s opening.
“I went to bat in Washington, and after months of negotiations and relentless advocacy,
I clawed back more than $42 million home to Jersey and put it exactly where it belongs:
in the hands of the brave men and women keeping our communities safe,” Gottheimer
said. “The men and women who wear the badge go above and beyond to protect us,
and they’ve earned every bit of support we can give them — for the big events and the everyday calls alike.”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill also praised the funding.
“Keeping New Jersey families safe starts with making sure our first responders have the
resources they need to do their jobs,” Sherrill said. “For too long, New Jerseyans have sent far more to Washington than we receive in return. This investment is a step toward
ensuring our taxpayers see more of their hard-earned dollars come back home to
support our first responders.”
The funding will flow to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness
through five federal grant programs: the State Homeland Security Program, the Urban
Area Security Initiative, the Emergency Management Performance Grant, the Transit
Security Grant Program, and the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Gottheimer made the announcement alongside Bergen County Prosecutor Mark
Musella, Passaic County Prosecutor Camilla Valdes, Sussex County Prosecutor Dan
Perez, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco III, and a roster of state legislators and
local mayors from across the three counties, along with first responders from Bergen,
Passaic and Sussex counties.
