The New Jersey-based Township of Lakewood Police Department has decided to make a change with its standard firearms.

The police department has contracted IWI US, Inc., a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., to issue the Tavor SAR to its police officers.

The Lakewood PD services approximately 90,000 residents in Ocean County, N.J., one of the fastest growing areas in the region.

IWI US said in a release that the reliability, ease-of-maintenance, durability, accuracy and overall length of the Tavor SAR meets the demands and requirements of the Lakewood PD.

The Tavor SAR also allows officers to operate and easily control the rifle with one hand if the officer is signaling, using additional tools or controlling his K-9.

Other favorable features for the Lakewood PD were the Tavor’s fully ambidextrous controls, a full-length top-mounted integral Picatinny rail and for 45-degree rail for mounting accessories. The Tavor SAR also uses standard AR-15/M16 magazines without any modifications.

“We are very proud to have the Lakewood [New Jersey] Police Department choose to transition over to the Tavor SAR,” said Michael Kassnar, VP of Sales and Marketing for IWI US. “Since the release of the Tavor in the U.S. market, more law enforcement agencies shown interest in replacing their standard AR models for the compact, bullpup style of the Tavor SAR.”