Bloomfield Police Get Bulletproof Vests With Federal Grant

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Police Department has been presented a total of $8,387 from the Bulletproof Vest Awards to be used for the purchase of new bulletproof vests.

According to the BPD, the Bulletproof Vest Awards are selected by the Office of Justice Programs, a department of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership has awarded more than 13,000 jurisdictions a total of $430 million in federal funds for the purchase of more than a million vests since 1999.

“The men and women of our police department risk their lives on a daily basis for the citizens of this township and deserve to have every protection we can provide them,” Mayor Michael Venezia said. “I would like to thank the Bulletproof Vest Partnership and the U.S. Department of Justice for recognizing the important work that Bloomfield police do, and assisting them with the resources they need to continue to keep residents, and themselves, safe.”

Director of Public Safety Samuel DeMaio said that the department was “very proud and honored” to receive the grant from the Bulletproof Vest Partnership.

“With this funding, we will be able to purchase dozens of state-of-the-art, life-saving bulletproof vests, and allow our brave officers to do their jobs with less fear for their safety,” DeMaio said.

New bulletproof vests have already been purchased from Armor Express, a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance body armor systems, with the federal funding, the BPD stated.

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Photo: Bloomfield PD