The full text of the executive order is below.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 116
            WHEREAS, Belleville Police Officer Kenneth A. Santucci was raised in Belleville, New Jersey, and graduated from Queen of Peace High School, and Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing; and

            WHEREAS, Officer Santucci was 32 years old, a loving and devoted husband and father, and resided in Belleville, New Jersey; and

            WHEREAS, Officer Santucci graduated from the Newark Police Academy in 2006, served as a Newark police officer, and then in 2008, joined the Belleville Police Department to serve and protect the public in his home community; and

            WHEREAS, in addition to serving as a police officer, Officer Santucci also had worked as a registered nurse at the Summit Oaks Hospital, Summit, New Jersey; and

            WHEREAS, Officer Santucci was a dedicated and skilled officer, who was known for his optimistic attitude, and who received many commendations and citations for his police work; and

            WHEREAS, on September 6, 2008, while Officer Santucci was on duty and responding to a call for assistance, he tragically lost his life in an automobile accident; and

            WHEREAS, Officer Santucci’s selfless devotion to public service and the protection of others makes him a hero and a true role model for all New Jerseyans and, therefore, it is appropriate and fitting for the State where he was raised and where he served so proudly as a Police Officer to recognize his true commitment to the welfare and safety of others, to mark his untimely passing, to remember his family as they mourn their tragic loss, and to honor his memory;

            NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
            The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during the appropriate hours on Friday, September 12, 2008, in recognition of the life and in mourning of the passing of Police Officer Kenneth A. Santucci.

          This Order shall take effect immediately.
                                                                        

TRENTON – Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that former Clayton Borough police chief Frank Winters has pleaded guilty to stealing $180,000 from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  He also admitted to stealing from the Clayton Borough police department.  

Frank Winters, 62, of Newfield, pleaded guilty late yesterday to second-degree theft by deception, a charge contained in a July 18, 2007 indictment, and second-degree official misconduct, which was contained in a separate Nov. 9, 2007 indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice.  He pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson in Gloucester County.

Under the plea agreement, Winters faces a sentence of seven years in state prison and will be ordered to pay $180,000 in restitution to MADD.  Winters must also pay restitution to Clayton Borough in an amount to be determined at sentencing.  Winters will be ordered to forfeit public employment for life.  Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled Winters’ sentencing for Jan. 9.

The charges resulted from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Control Bureau South and the Division of Criminal Justice.

“In pleading guilty, this former police chief admitted that he betrayed his oath to uphold the law and stole from both his police department and MADD, an organization dedicated to saving lives,” said Attorney General Milgram. “Prison is the appropriate sentence for these crimes.”

Winters and his wife, Bernice, 57, are former leaders of MADD at the state and local levels. Frank and Bernice Winters are both former chairmen of the New Jersey state chapter of MADD. Frank Winters also served on the national board of directors.

Bernice Winters was indicted on charges of conspiracy and theft in the same July 18, 2007 state grand jury indictment.  Under the plea agreement with Frank Winters, the state will not oppose Bernice Winters’ application to the court for the Pre-Trial Intervention Program, conditioned on payment of the $180,000 to MADD.

At the plea hearing, Winters admitted that between July 2001 and June 2004, he stole $180,000 from MADD by fraudulently billing the nonprofit organization for purchases of promotional items from Holiday House and Lasting Impact, two companies that he owned.  Winters admitted that the promotional items were never provided to MADD.  The state’s investigation determined that Winters used the money as his own, depositing it into his bank account and using it to pay for his own personal debts and expenses, such as his mortgage, car payments, dinners, travel, jewelry, computer equipment and furniture.

At the guilty plea hearing, Winters also admitted that he used his position as the Clayton Borough police chief to fraudulently bill the borough in connection with purchases for the police department from his company Holiday House.  

The state’s investigation determined that Winters over-billed the borough for purchases from Holiday House in December 2004 of high intensity flashlights for DUI checkpoints and “child crisis bears” which were never delivered.  The “child crisis bears” are stuffed animals given to children by officers in times of family crisis.  In making the purchases for the police department from Holiday House, Winters concealed the fact that he owned the company and was using his position as chief in order to generate profits for himself in violation of the state ethics laws regarding local government.

The investigation was conducted by the New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Control Bureau South in coordination with Deputy Attorney General Jill Mayer of the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs and Organized Crime Bureau.  Mayer presented both indictments to the state grand jury.  Deputy Attorney General Philip Aronow negotiated the plea disposition and represented the Division of Criminal Justice at the plea hearing.  

Winters resigned as chief in Clayton on April 24, 2007, after he was charged by complaint in the MADD case.

Attorney General Milgram noted that the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau has established a toll-free Corruption Tipline for the public to report corruption, financial crime and other illegal activities. The statewide Corruption Tipline is 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing. All information received through the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will remain confidential.

                WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), introduced a bill to provide consumers critical information about the origin and quality of the bottled water they are drinking—and the impact producing and disposing of these bottles has on our environment.  Lautenberg introduced his bill while chairing a hearing in the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality.

                “Americans deserve to know what’s in their water.  Bottled water has become so popular—and so much a part of our culture—the public has a right to know where it comes from and how it's treated,” Sen. Lautenberg said. “Our bill would make sure they get that information.”

                Lautenberg’s bill, the Bottled Water Right-to-Know Act, would require bottled water manufacturers to display the quality and source of the water and type of treatment that the water has undergone on the bottles they sell.  The bill also requires that manufacturers submit information about their bottled water’s origins and quality to the Food and Drug Administration and that information be accessible to the public.

               In 2007, Americans spent more than $11 billion on bottled water, up from $8 billion in 2005.  Today, more than half of all Americans consume bottled water and Americans have come to rely on it during emergencies.

               While some bottlers may use additional treatment to clean the water, almost 40 percent of bottled water comes from municipal water sources.   Manufacturing bottled water also contributes to lasting environmental costs.  Some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year to produce the nation’s water bottles and the vast majority of this ends up in landfills.  The amount of oil it takes to produce those bottles would power more than one million cars and trucks for a year.

                Lautenberg is a leader in working to keep water safe and clean for consumers and promoting consumer right-to-know laws.  This includes funding our nation’s water infrastructure and championing efforts to let people know what chemicals are in their communities’ water supply.