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Bergen County Freeholders Authorize Grant Supporting Megan's Law

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Bergen County Freeholders have unanimously passed Resolution 132-16, which authorizes acceptance of the Fiscal Year 2016 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $11,818.

The Bergen County Freeholders have accepted the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which provides funding for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office to continue complying with Megan's Law.

The Bergen County Freeholders have accepted the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which provides funding for the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office to continue complying with Megan's Law.

Photo Credit: Mary K. Miraglia

The grant, which the county has received for several years, provides continuing funding for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office to remain in compliance with Megan’s Law.

Megan’s Law, passed by the New Jersey Legislature in 1994 after the murder of Megan Kanka, and eventually adopted as the federal model for the law, requires law enforcement officials to disclose details pertaining to the location of registered sex offenders.

The resolution authorized by the Freeholders offsets salary needs of the Prosecutor’s Office, which is tasked with being the central agent for all offenders in Bergen County, keeping in contact with local law enforcement in the county’s 70 municipalities and updating the offender watch database shared between all law enforcement agencies in the state.

“This resolution helps keep our kids safe,” said Freeholder Chairman Steve Tanelli. “As a councilman in North Arlington, I worked with the Megan Kanka foundation to secure funding to make background checks for recreation coaches a requirement, and I know that for North Arlington, or any town in Bergen County, that protecting our kids from sex offenders starts with strong communication between law enforcement. I’m proud that the county continues to pursue grants that provide awareness and leadership about Megan’s Law for all of our communities in Bergen County.”

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