Bulletproof Vest Program Reauthorized; LoBiondo Lauds Passage

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (R-2nd) joined with colleague Rep. Peter Visclosky (IN-01), to urge their colleagues to approve their legislation, H.R. 6045, which reauthorizes the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program.
According to a release, the program was created in 1997 by the two lawmakers. The bipartisan program provides state, local and tribal law enforcement officers with needed protection by aiding the purchase of protective equipment. Set to expire in 2009, the reauthorization will keep the grant program operating until 2012.
The House approved LoBiondo’s bill 404 to 2.
“The men and women in our local law enforcement play an essential role in safeguarding our communities and protecting the freedoms all of us enjoy. Bulletproof vests and body armor have saved thousands of law enforcement officers since the introduction of modern bulletproof material. However, they cannot protect the lives of those who do not have access to them,” said LoBiondo.
“As protectors of our lives and our property, it is imperative we give law enforcement the critical tools they need so they may do their jobs and carry out their duties safely and effectively. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership program is one of those critical tools.”
Since 1999, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program has purchased over 1.5 million bulletproof vests for over 40,000 jurisdictions in the U.S. In fiscal year 2007 alone, the Program provided $28.6 million to state and local law enforcement agencies across America and purchased over 180,000 new bulletproof vests. More than $113,000 of those federal funds has helped officers in New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District. .
“Over the past decade, this important program has helped to protect the lives of nearly a half million officers. The enactment of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, followed by the full funding of the grant program, will ensure that all of America’s law enforcement officers get the life-saving protection they need,” wrote William Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations to the lawmakers in May when the reauthorization legislation was first introduced.
“NAPO was proud to stand with you in 1999 and 2004 and we are pleased to join with you again in support of this important legislation.”