Grant to help fund bulletproof vests for local police

September 15, 2015

Some local police officers will be outfitted soon with much needed bulletproof vests, thanks to federal grant funds sought by the City of Bartlesville Grants Administration Department.

The $5,492.24 grant — provided by the U.S. Department of Justice — will fund half the cost of approximately 15 vests for local officers, according to Grants Administrator Nancy Warring. The City of Bartlesville will provide matching funds.

“We applied for funding for up to 15 vests. They gave us the full amount,” Warring said. “This is the first time in years that we’ve been approved for the full amount.”

Warring said the City has applied for the grant nine times since 2002.

“We’ve been approved every year for at least some portion of the grant,” Warring said.

In all the years combined, the City has received a total of $58,802.74 for this type of equipment, Warring said.

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership was created by the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998, according to the Office of Justice Programs website. The program has awarded funds for nearly 2 million vests for more than 13,000 jurisdictions, the website states.