By Staff
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $572,043 in funding to 133 Michigan communities to help purchase bulletproof vests for local law enforcement officers.
The award includes $3,000 for Cass County, $1,986.75 for Niles city, $2,522.50 for Three Rivers and $2,000 for Benton Harbor.
The senators also announced that the Department of Justice made an additional $10 million available Aug. 25 nationwide to allow police departments to replace vests based on Zylon, which the department determined may not provide an "intended level of ballistic resistance."
The DOJ report on Zylon-based vests and information on how to apply for the special funding for replacement vests is available at http://vests.ojp.gov.
The Bulletproof Vest Partnership funds up to 50 percent of the cost of each vest purchased or replaced by law enforcement agencies.