WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, praised the Senate’s vote to pass his bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and increase funding for the lifesaving Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program — a competitive federal grant program that helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase bullet-resistant vests for officers. Senator Coons’ bill authorizes $25 million to fund the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, an increase from the $22.5 million provided for the program last year.  

“Police officers risk their lives to make us safer every day, so the least we can do is ensure they are fully protected with bullet-resistant vests when they are in the line of duty,” said Senator Coons. “The federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership makes vests more affordable for local law enforcement, ensuring that when officers go out to protect our communities, they can do so as safely as possible. My bill extends and increases funding for this critical program, and I’m thrilled the Senate has unanimously passed it. As we recognize National Police Week, I urge the House to act immediately so this program can keep saving law enforcement lives.”

The program has issued more than one million lifesaving vests to more than 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country since it was established in 1999. Congress has reauthorized the program three times, most recently in 2008.

According to the Government Accountability Office, the lives of approximately 3,000 law enforcement officers have been saved by body armor since 1987. In Delaware, more than $2 million in grant money has helped to supply 18,582 vests in the last fifteen years.

On February 11, 2013, bulletproof vests purchased through the federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership saved the lives of two Capitol Police officers, Sergeant Michael Manley and Corporal Steve Rinehart, during a shooting at the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington. Both officers were struck, but survived because of their vests.

The legislation will reauthorize the program for five years and includes important reforms to meet the needs of today’s law enforcement officers. The bill creates incentives for agencies to provide uniquely fitted vests for female officers—a critical provision highlighted by officers like Officer Ann Carrizales of the Stafford, Texas police department, who was shot twice during a routine traffic stop in 2013. Carrizales recounted the dramatic experience at a Judiciary Committee hearing last year, telling Committee members that “I would not be sitting here today had I not been wearing a properly fitting bulletproof vest.”

In addition, the bill ensures that agencies uphold mandatory wear policies so that the vests are worn regularly. To ensure taxpayer dollars are not misused, the bill also makes clear that grantees cannot use other federal grant funds to meet the matching fund requirement under program rules.  The Government Accountability Office recommended these commonsense reforms in a 2012 study about the program.

Senator Coons introduced the reauthorization of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program in January. A copy of the bill is available online.

Supporters of the bill include the Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs' Association, Major County Sheriffs' Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Tactical Officers Association, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

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