Somers, Yorktown Receive Bulletproof Vests through Federal Grant

YORKTOWN, NY — U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Friday $808,198.45 in new federal funding for the State of New York to purchase 13,005 bullet proof vests for police officers across 192 jurisdictions, including Somers and Yorktown.

The funding was allocated through the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance Bulletproof Vest Partnership program to purchase new bullet proof vests for police office and would also provide reimbursement to state and local law enforcement agencies for purchase of bulletproof vests.

The Hudson Valley Region with the exception of Westchester will receive 569 vests; Westchester will receive 356 vests.

HUDSON VALLEY, Number of Vests

• Beacon City-22
• Clarkstown Town-45
• Cornwall on Hudson Village-3
• Deerpark Town-7
• Fishkill-46
• Goshen Village-12
• Highlands Town-12
• Marlborough Town-10
• Middletown City-10
• Monroe Village-2
• Montgomery Village-5
• Monticello Village-12
• Mount Hope Town-4
• New Paltz-5
• New Windsor Town-8
• Newburgh City-15
• Newburgh Town-14
• Orange County-51
• Piermont Village-2
• Port Jervis City-12
• Rockland County-120
• South Nyack Village-2
• Spring Valley Village-12
• Ulster County-20
• Ulster Town-6
• Walden Village-6
• Wallkill Town-10
• Warwick Town-9
• Chester Town-8
• Fallsburg-3
• Poughkeepsie City-30
• Poughkeepsie Town-46

WESTCHESTER, Number of Vests

• Bedford Town-10
• Briarcliff Manor Village-20
• Dobbs Ferry Village-6
• Eastchester Town-10
• Greenburgh Town-15
• Mamaroneck Village-27
• Mount Pleasant Town-5
• Mount Vernon City-25
• New Castle Town-6
• New Rochelle City-26
• North Castle Town-11
• North Salem Town-3
• Peekskill City-15
• Pelham Town-13
• Port Chester Village-12
• Rye Brook Village-6
• Rye City-18
• Somers Town-3
• Tuckahoe Village-5
• Westchester County-65
• White Plains City-40
• Yorktown-15

In addition, New York City will receive 8,569 vests; Long Island will receive 1,477 vests; the Capital Region will receive 232 vests; Central New York will receive 418 vests; the Southern Tier will receive 224 vests; Rochester-Finger Lakes Region will receive 419 vests; Mohawk Valley will receive 145 vests; Western New York will receive 574 vests; and The North Country will receive 22 vests.

“This massive federal investment will ensure that the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe are equipped with the life-saving gear they need to protect themselves,” Schumer said in the announcement. “With over 13,000 new bulletproof vests, officers and other law enforcement officials across New York can feel safer while they're out on the beat keeping our communities safe.”

“This federal funding for new vests is welcome news for New York’s police officers, who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” said Senator Gillibrand. “In a dangerous situation, a bulletproof vest might be the only barrier between life and death for an officer. We have to make sure our brave officers are using equipment that is up-to-date and effective. I was proud to fight for this funding and I will continue to support efforts in the Senate to protect our officers in the line of duty.”

The Office of Justice Assistance aims to build stronger community relationships by focusing on officer safety, wellness and resilience; active shooter response; officer safety and wellness program recognition; officer safety and wellness pilot research and evaluation model; and de-escalation training. The Justice Assistance Bulletproof Vest Partnership program prioritizes jurisdictions with 100,000 or less residents. Cities receiving funding are required to use National Institute of Justice approved vendors to replace vests recently damaged or older than five years.

Image via Shutterstock.