Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday passed bipartisan legislation he supported that would help local law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests, paving the way for the bill to be signed in to law by President Obama. The legislation would extend through 2020 a program that helps local law enforcement agencies in Indiana and across the country purchase bulletproof vests. Donnelly cosponsored the bill and helped pass the Senate last May.
Donnelly said, “This bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program is important to helping ensure the safety of our law enforcement officers, and now that it has passed in Congress I hope the President quickly signs it into law. Officers face very dangerous situations while serving in the line of duty, and these protective vests can help prevent injury and even save lives.”
The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program is administered by the Department of Justice, and the grants awarded provide matching funds to local law enforcement for protective vests. This legislation would improve the grant program by incentivizing agencies to purchase vests that are individually fitted for officers. Having a bulletproof vest that fits well is important to providing the best protection to law enforcement officers.
Since 1999, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program has helped more than 13,000 local law enforcement agencies around the country purchase more than 1.1 million vests. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, Indiana law enforcement agencies received $515,081 through the program, which helped 100 communities to purchase a total of 1376 vests. For details on which Indiana communities were awarded FY 2015 grants, click here. In 2014, Indiana law enforcement agencies were awarded $482,083 for vests.
