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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. This Order shall take effect immediately.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 10th day
of September Two Thousand and Eight, and of
the Independence of the United States, the Two
Hundred and Thirty-Third.

/s/ Jon S. Corzine

Governor [seal]