PITTSBURGH, -- CJB Group, Inc. (www.cjbgroupinc.com), a rising entrepreneurial company based in New Kensington, PA, announces that its first two prototype Balla Base products will be deployed in the City of Arnold Police Department in Westmoreland County and the Westmoreland County Sheriff's Department. The prototypes will be rolled out on the first two police cruisers on Monday, March 31st at 2 PM at Ross Auto Body at 498 Industrial Blvd. in New Kensington, Westmoreland County.
CJB Group, Inc. is encouraging regional law enforcement personnel, the media, and the public to attend the event to view the product and interact with designers, manufacturers and law enforcement colleagues. For a limited time, the company is offering five additional Balla Base prototypes at no charge to Pittsburgh-region police departments on a first-come, first-served basis. In exchange, prototype participants will field-test the product and provide feedback to the company so it can fine-tune design elements before launching the product nationally by fall of 2008.
The Balla Base, which is manufactured locally by Accrotool, Inc. (www.accrotool.net) is a new-generation safety product designed specifically to protect law enforcers and preserve evidence when officers are confronted with detaining a suspected perpetrator. The Balla Base is the first product that allows officers to remain hands-free when apprehending a suspect or even when removing a perpetrator from a physical premise, such as a car or their home. The product, which is physically mounted to the trunks of police cruisers, comprises a bar for handcuffing, a built-in flashlight and two trays manufactured to hold handguns, drug paraphernalia or other evidence collected during detainment.
According to CJB Group president Ronald Balla, the product was inspired by his late brother, Chad Balla, a police officer born and raised in New Kensington, trained at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania police academy, and served as a law enforcer in various municipalities in Pittsburgh. Chad Balla, age 34 at the time of his death in 2003, passed away from cancer in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he relocated and served as a police officer for several years.
"My brother was confronted with a dangerous situation when he pulled over a suspect one evening in St. Petersburg," said Ronald Balla. "After that incident, I developed the idea for a product that would enable officers to be 'hands-free' when detaining a perpetrator -- so they can secure the situation more quickly, both for their safety as well as the perpetrator's well-being. We were talking seriously about bringing the product to fruition before Chad became ill. After he passed away from a hard-fought battle with cancer, I made it my mission to bring the product to market. I consider the Balla Base to be Chad's legacy; and I'm approaching it with the same traits that my brother possessed in his life and career as a police officer -- with courage, strength and pride."
The product, which is patent-pending, is being deployed in the field on March 31st by the City of Arnold Police Department in Westmoreland County. According to Chief of Police Joe Doutt, "When I learned of the Balla Base, I knew I wanted it here for officer safety. Traffic stops are among the most hazardous situations for law enforcement and this product will help detain perpetrators in a safer manner for both parties. I'm thankful that someone thought of this -- it's another excellent safety product for law enforcement; and when the Balla Base becomes commercially available later this year, I plan to outfit all of our cruisers with it."
Sheriff Chris Scherer of the Westmoreland County Sheriff's Department concurs. "We are going to use the Balla Base on our warrant car. When we have a court order to place someone under arrest, we'll use the product as necessity dictates. Often in these types of situations, our sheriffs are by themselves and don't know what to expect. The Balla Base enables officers to take someone into custody in a secure environment and gives them the proper time to do a thorough job, including preserving any evidence that is found."
"There are approximately 338,000 marked police cruisers in the U.S. today," said Balla, "And the vast majority of them are Ford(R) Crown Victoria(R) vehicles. So our product is designed for the majority of the market; however, we also enabled it to fit the Chevrolet(R) Impala(R), which also comprise a good majority of police cruisers. As we progress, we intend to reproduce the product to fit all makes and models."
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