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Every officer on the street knows the importance of effective body armor. You count on it because your life depends on it. Whether you’re on patrol wearing soft concealed armor under your uniform or you’re kitted out in full tactical hard plates on the doorstep of a drug house, you need armor that works.
But armor isn’t cheap. How does your department pay for it?
While there are many outside-of-budget ways to pay for armor – fundraisers, donations, etc. – one often overlooked option is the Bulletproof Vest Partnership or BVP grant sponsored by the Department of Justice.
Created by the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998, the BVP program has awarded 13,000 jurisdictions over $412 million in federal funds to purchase over 1 million vests.
Asking for federal funding may seem like a daunting task, with red tape galore, but the BVP makes it easy with a 3-step process to streamline funding.
New applicants fill out an online form that includes contact and banking information. So long as nothing changes during the process, this is the only time you will need to supply this.
This is where you identify which armor you wish to buy. Fill in the total number, type, and projected cost of the vests.
Critical Info: In order to qualify, you MUST know the NIJ Model Designation of the ballistic insert. This is not the same as the commercial part number or brand name of the armor. For example, one of Propper’s Level IIIA soft armor inserts carries NIJ Model Designation REN-3BFA. Only the ballistic material is labeled because only it has been tested and works in several different carriers.
For easy reference, the NIJ offers an online table that shows each manufacturer’s insert model designation broken down by threat level certification.
The vest funding application now goes through a three to four month approval process. Once the application is approved, the final step is to complete an online receiving report and request for payment. The amount of money awarded is up to the DOJ.
By following these three easy steps, you may be able to reduce your department’s overall armor cost while providing armor to more officers on a tighter budget.