MJMANDALAY
01-22-2008, 06:18 AM
A nationwide ammunition shortage is hitting New Jersey police departments hard. As demand surges, police agencies are the target of price increases and longer waits for equipment.
But the biggest casualties are likely to be taxpayers who have to pay more for police to reload.
Troops fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- along with the rising cost of supplies needed to produce ammunition -- are creating shortfalls in much of the equipment used by police agencies from coast to coast.
Police chiefs in towns across North Jersey have reported that the war has taken a toll on their ability to secure the ammunition they need. They are experiencing shipment delays of six months and longer for equipment that is also used by the military. And ammunition costs have risen quickly.
"There are very few suppliers of bulletproof vests and infrared goggles and equipment. Obviously, the soldiers take precedence over the police," said Brian Hague, a spokesman for Bergen County. The county was paying about $23,000 a year for ammunition three years ago, and now the costs are up to approximately $30,000. "It's a simple matter of supply and demand."
Many police officials say they are frustrated by the slowdown in shipments. Deliveries that used to come in three weeks now take six months and longer to arrive. And when they do, they often come with items missing because of the shortage, said West Milford Police Chief Paul Costello.
"Sometimes we have to borrow from other departments," he said.
Hague said the Bergen County Sheriff's Department had to borrow 20,000 rounds at the end of 2007, but they have since received their full order.
The solution is to stock up early and often, said Norwood Chief Jeffrey Krapels, whose annual ammunition budget is $3,000. He ordered ammunition two years ago on a tip that the war was creating a high demand for his equipment. "Our supplier told us that he was beginning to experience a shortage, so I over-ordered a lot back then and now I'm good until 2009," he said.
But sometimes, even efficient planning isn't adequate. Detective Andrew White of the Passaic Police Department said, "We placed an order in 2007 and it took eight months to come instead of the usual one month," he said.
White added that it's not just the longer waiting time that's plaguing police agencies. Since there are laws requiring police to train and qualify for the use of firearms, they have to pay whatever the ammunition manufacturers ask.
"We just have to go put extra money in the city budget to buy ammunition. I am foreseeing that most towns will have to do the same thing to offset the price difference," said White.
A spokesman from the state Attorney General's Office said there are no plans at this time to change the qualification procedures, which mandate that police qualify twice a year for firearms.
Tom Morris of New Jersey-based Eagle Point Gun, which supplies ammunition to police agencies around New Jersey and the eastern United States, said the cost of some cartridges used by both soldiers and police has increased by as much as 100 percent. Others rose by only 25 percent, but may still take as much as a year to obtain. He advises customers to order at least six months in advance.
Morris said the rising demand, coupled with the shortage of manufacturing facilities, is creating a dire situation in America.
"If we had another knock-down, drag-out, shoot-'em-up, kind of war, I don't think we'd have enough bullets to kill them all," he said.
Tenafly Police Chief Michael Bruno started organizing a bulk purchasing order among Bergen County departments after he was warned by his distributor of an impending 40 percent price hike and shipment delays.
"I sent out notices to all the police chiefs in the county that we should pool our ammunition orders together so that we can get better pricing and a quicker delivery," he said. So far, he's gotten a positive response to his idea.
Bruno said he has had to request a larger budget to cover the cost, he said. Tenafly police are likely to see a nearly $3,000 increase on their $11,000 budget.
Municipal officials say they are not likely to reject requests to cover higher costs. Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin said, "It's not different from any of the other essential things that go into our budget. It's easier to ask people to conserve gasoline than it is to ask our officers to conserve bullets. I would consider ammunition to be something essential that you are not going to cut."
However, he did say he would ask about practicing with something other than live ammunition, which departments across the country have done. Some have even used paintball guns. But it's not a practice recommended by most North Jersey chiefs.
But the biggest casualties are likely to be taxpayers who have to pay more for police to reload.
Troops fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- along with the rising cost of supplies needed to produce ammunition -- are creating shortfalls in much of the equipment used by police agencies from coast to coast.
Police chiefs in towns across North Jersey have reported that the war has taken a toll on their ability to secure the ammunition they need. They are experiencing shipment delays of six months and longer for equipment that is also used by the military. And ammunition costs have risen quickly.
"There are very few suppliers of bulletproof vests and infrared goggles and equipment. Obviously, the soldiers take precedence over the police," said Brian Hague, a spokesman for Bergen County. The county was paying about $23,000 a year for ammunition three years ago, and now the costs are up to approximately $30,000. "It's a simple matter of supply and demand."
Many police officials say they are frustrated by the slowdown in shipments. Deliveries that used to come in three weeks now take six months and longer to arrive. And when they do, they often come with items missing because of the shortage, said West Milford Police Chief Paul Costello.
"Sometimes we have to borrow from other departments," he said.
Hague said the Bergen County Sheriff's Department had to borrow 20,000 rounds at the end of 2007, but they have since received their full order.
The solution is to stock up early and often, said Norwood Chief Jeffrey Krapels, whose annual ammunition budget is $3,000. He ordered ammunition two years ago on a tip that the war was creating a high demand for his equipment. "Our supplier told us that he was beginning to experience a shortage, so I over-ordered a lot back then and now I'm good until 2009," he said.
But sometimes, even efficient planning isn't adequate. Detective Andrew White of the Passaic Police Department said, "We placed an order in 2007 and it took eight months to come instead of the usual one month," he said.
White added that it's not just the longer waiting time that's plaguing police agencies. Since there are laws requiring police to train and qualify for the use of firearms, they have to pay whatever the ammunition manufacturers ask.
"We just have to go put extra money in the city budget to buy ammunition. I am foreseeing that most towns will have to do the same thing to offset the price difference," said White.
A spokesman from the state Attorney General's Office said there are no plans at this time to change the qualification procedures, which mandate that police qualify twice a year for firearms.
Tom Morris of New Jersey-based Eagle Point Gun, which supplies ammunition to police agencies around New Jersey and the eastern United States, said the cost of some cartridges used by both soldiers and police has increased by as much as 100 percent. Others rose by only 25 percent, but may still take as much as a year to obtain. He advises customers to order at least six months in advance.
Morris said the rising demand, coupled with the shortage of manufacturing facilities, is creating a dire situation in America.
"If we had another knock-down, drag-out, shoot-'em-up, kind of war, I don't think we'd have enough bullets to kill them all," he said.
Tenafly Police Chief Michael Bruno started organizing a bulk purchasing order among Bergen County departments after he was warned by his distributor of an impending 40 percent price hike and shipment delays.
"I sent out notices to all the police chiefs in the county that we should pool our ammunition orders together so that we can get better pricing and a quicker delivery," he said. So far, he's gotten a positive response to his idea.
Bruno said he has had to request a larger budget to cover the cost, he said. Tenafly police are likely to see a nearly $3,000 increase on their $11,000 budget.
Municipal officials say they are not likely to reject requests to cover higher costs. Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin said, "It's not different from any of the other essential things that go into our budget. It's easier to ask people to conserve gasoline than it is to ask our officers to conserve bullets. I would consider ammunition to be something essential that you are not going to cut."
However, he did say he would ask about practicing with something other than live ammunition, which departments across the country have done. Some have even used paintball guns. But it's not a practice recommended by most North Jersey chiefs.