JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Newly elected Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy will unveil his anti-gun initiative, Operation Lifesaver , in conjunction with the efforts of The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, The Jersey City Police Department , and Ward F City Councilwoman Viola Richardson during a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2004 at Mary McLeod Bethune Community Center, 140 Martin Luther King Drive, second floor , in Jersey City. Additional sponsors include the NAACP, the Concerned Citizens Coalition , and leaders of the religious community. The program has garnered the additional support of various state and Hudson County elected officials. Operation Lifesaver has its roots in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office and was originally proposed in 1994 as the Voluntary Firearms Surrender Project. Similar to the goal of Operation Lifesaver, the Surrender Project was developed in response to significantly reducing the number of handguns either potentially or actually available to criminals. Councilwoman Richardson had embraced a similar project during her years as a Jersey City police officer, and began efforts to get Operation Lifesaver off the ground almost ten years later in 2003.

Mayor Healy has been a strong proponent of getting guns off the streets of Jersey City throughout his election campaign last fall. Operation Lifesaver is one of the violence reduction initiatives that his office is fiercely supporting. In conjunction with the Jersey City Police Department, the Mayor has also launched an Anti-Gang Task Force since his term in office began last November.

At the press conference, the Mayor will present his personal check for $1,000.00 to the Operation Lifesaver Program. The monies will be used to assist the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office and the Jersey City Police Department with the daunting task of fighting the soaring violent crime rate in the Jersey City community. In 2004, 60% of all homicides that took place in Jersey City were gun-related

Mayor Healy seeks to raise at least $50,000 through corporate donors to finance the initial phase of Operation Lifesaver program which will take place on three consecutive weekends beginning January 21st-22nd, January 28th-29th, and February 4th and 5th.

The Mayor has reached out to several leaders in the religious community to participate in Operation Lifesaver and to date a total of seven churches or community centers have been secured as surrender sites. The list of sites include: First Wesleyan Church, Monumental Baptist Church, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, St. Michael’s Methodist Church, St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church, and Viola S. Richardson Civic Association & Outreach Center. Weapons may be turned in from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at all site locations.

Each site will be staffed with two Jersey City police officers equipped with extra training in weapon recovery. Members of the Jersey City Emergency Squad will also be on call to assist the site locations with any weapon snafus, and to assure the public that their safety is of utmost concern. Those who surrender handguns, rifles or shotguns will receive a $150 cash reward, and $250 will be offered to those surrendering automatic weapons. Residents may turn in any weapons anonymously and quickly, with no questions asked by police personnel.

“Operation Lifesaver represents my deep commitment to rid the streets of Jersey City of as many weapons as possible,” said Mayor Healy . “Each gun surrendered carries with it the possibility of saving another life and reducing the incidents of gun violence in our neighborhoods. I urge members of the corporate community and local residents to participate in supporting Operation Lifesaver , as every effort counts in the battle to make our streets safer.”

For more information about Operation Lifesaver Program, please call 201-547-5500, or fax 201-547-4288. Donations may be made by sending a check or money order payable to City of Jersey City/Operation Lifesaver Program, PO BOX 335, Jersey City, NJ 07303.

Media may inquire about Operation Lifesaver Program by contacting Maria Pignataro at 201-547-4836, or via email at pignatarom@jcnj.org