Bullet Proof Vest Reimbursement Program
Grant Deadline: This program accepts applications on an ongoing basis.
Full Reimbursement to New York State Law Enforcement
To help defer the costs of life-saving body armor for municipal police agencies, the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) administers the Bullet Proof Vest Reimbursement Program. This is a open-ended reimbursement program: police agencies may be fully reimbursed for the purchase of vests any time during the fiscal year. However, this program covers only vests for new hires of police officer status. It does not provide reimbursements for replacement vests or funds for newly hired peace officers.
What this grant does for your agency
Agencies awarded the New York State DCJS Soft Body Armor Program receive funds to defer the costs of body armor for Law Enforcement Officers.
Grant Eligibility
Recently, the Federal government developed its own soft body armor program as an important resource to the State’s law enforcement community. Because of a statutory requirement in the New York State program (subsection 4 of the Executive Law), all police agencies must apply for any available Federal funding before they may be eligible for State reimbursement.
Unlike the New York program, the Federal program will provide 50 percent reimbursement for newly hired officers and can be used to partially reimburse localities for the costs associated with replacing old or ill-fitting vests. Additionally, this program benefits both police and peace officers. While the Federal program limits the amount of reimbursement to half of the vest cost, it actually provides more funding as it covers a wider number of criminal justice agencies and a wider population of officers.
About the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)
Core agency functions of DCJS include criminal history checks, fingerprint operations, coordination of grant funds, providing timely information, public safety, law enforcement training, breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment repair, accreditation of police departments and forensic laboratories, Uniform Crime Reporting, research, hosting criminal justice boards and commissions, providing information to criminal justice agencies and institutions, and hosting other criminal justice agencies. More
Grant Deadline
Grant applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.