Of the 894 automatic rifles municipalities in New Jersey received through a U.S. Department of Defense program, Jersey City received 170 of them -- by far the most of any town in the state and nearly 20 percent of the total amount distributed to Garden State towns, according to today's Star-Ledger.

The second runner-up, Mount Olive Township, received a total of only 26 M14 and M16 assault rifles.

The only other Hudson town to crack the top 15 list was West New York, which received 24 of the rifles, The Ledger reports.

As part of the program, The Pentagon gives away surplus military gear. Some 155 agencies in New Jersey have taken advantage of the giveaways over the years, The Ledger reports.

Until now, the state Attorney General's Office had refused to disclose which police departments received the battlefield rifles, combat knives, or armored vehicles, citing security concerns.

But the attorney general finally relented in the face of a public records request by state Sen. Nia Gill of Montclair.

Gill, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups, have raised concerns about the militarization of local police departments.

"The more that local law enforcement agencies militarize, or adopt tactics and equipment more suited for the battlefield, the more we're going to see officers developing warrior mentalities," Ari Rosmarin, public policy director of the ACLU of New Jersey, told The Ledger.

Jersey City officials have said the request of the weaponry was a response to concerns over terrorism following the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Jersey City Police Department received the weapons in 2003, when the late Glenn Cunningham was mayor, according to city officials.

"The Department acquired them after 9/11 to be used at critical locations throughout the City in heightened awareness situations and trained members use them for their annual qualifications and training at the range," city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill told The Jersey Journal.

"Currently, they are stored at the Department armory and all of this equipment obtained from this LESO (Law Enforcement Support Office) program is audited and accounted for every year by LESO personnel. The M-14’s that were acquired are used by the Honor Guard for ceremonial purposes," she added.

Under current rules, a police agency makes a request for equipment through a State Police coordinator to the Defense Logistics Agency, which has final authority over the transfer of any equipment. Local approval is not required.

The M14 assault rifle is capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute.