City Receives Bulletproof Vest Grant

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded the Brookhaven Police Department a $14,260 grant for bulletproof vests Thursday.

The money will be used to reimburse the city for the 55 American Body Armor vests purchased earlier this year. The federal grant covers about half of the police department’s total cost for the vests.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Police Chief Gary Yandura said. “These vests are part of our uniform and essential to our police operations. This grant helps us not only stay safe, but be fiscally responsible with Brookhaven’s tax dollars.”

To be eligible for the funds, police departments must have a policy requiring officers to wear vests, as well as a mission that focuses on safety and training.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership has purchased more than 1.1 million vests for more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies since the program’s 1999 inception. According to the Justice Department, at least 33 officers’ lives were saved nationally in fiscal year 2012 because of protective vests. This was a 13.7 percent increase compared to 2011.

For more information about the Bulletproof Vest Partnership, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvpbasi/.