A.G. Schneiderman Announces Funding To Equip Hundreds Of Officers In The Hudson Valley And Westchester With Bulletproof Vests

POUGHKEEPSIE – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced awards to law enforcement agencies in the Hudson Valley and Westchester through the Attorney General’s inVEST Partnership, a statewide program that helps law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests for sworn officers. The funding awarded today includes $80,000 to support the purchase of 200 vests for the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, $33,300 to purchase 74 vests for the Kingston Police Department, $34,592 to purchase 84 vests for the Yonkers Police Department, receiving, $30,720 to purchase 80 vests for the City of White Plains Department of Public Safety, and $5,000 to purchase 10 vests for the City of Poughkeepsie. In total, the Attorney General announced $382,192.58 in grants today to support the purchase of 971 bulletproof vests. This is the third round of awards. Previously, Attorney General Schneiderman announced more than $2 million to support the purchase of more than 6,000 bulletproof vests for law enforcement agencies in Western New York, the Capital Region, the North Country, New York City, and Long Island.

“When our brave law enforcement officers go to work to keep our communities safe, we owe it to them to do everything we can to keep them safe,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “The inVEST Partnership grants we are announcing today will arm hundreds of brave officers throughout the Hudson Valley and Westchester with life-saving vests they might not otherwise have, adding a critical layer of safety to one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.”

In 1998, the federal government passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Act, which established a competitive grant program to provide up to 50 percent matching funds for state, county and local law enforcement organizations to purchase bulletproof vests. Unfortunately, because of partisan gridlock in Washington, BVP grants to departments in New York State have dropped precipitously in recent years.  In fact, since peaking in 2010, grants awarded to law enforcement agencies in New York State decreased by 81 percent, or approximately $3.27 million. In June, Attorney General Schneiderman announced the inVEST Partnership to replace funds cut from the BVP program.

The danger that law enforcement officers face on a daily basis cannot be overstated: Since 1984, 71 officers in New York State have been shot and killed in the line of duty, including four in the Hudson Valley, and 29 different law-enforcement agencies have experienced gunfire fatalities. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) estimates that bulletproof vests have saved more than 3,000 police officers’ lives nationwide during the same time period. 

On July 28th, New York Police Department Detective Mario Muniz was shot multiple times, including once in the chest, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant on a suspected sex offender. The round that struck his chest was stopped by his bulletproof vest, likely saving his life, according to NYPD Commissioner William Bratton.

State Senator Terry Gipsonsaid, “I thank Attorney General Schneiderman for his shared commitment to keeping our officers safe. We must do everything we can as a state to ensure that our police departments have the equipment they need in order to most effectively and safely combat crime in our community. These inVEST Partnership grants will help equip our bravest with state-of-the-art life-saving vests, and I'm proud to support this important and needed program.”

Assemblyman Frank Skartadossaid, “We have examples right in my district where police vests have saved the lives of officers in the line of duty. The high cost of vests can become an issue to a municipality as they must be replaced periodically before they lose effectiveness. The funding opportunity being offered by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will go a long way to ensure that our police officers are protected while they protect us.”

City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Ronald Knappsaid, “On behalf of the City of Poughkeepsie community I would like to thank Attorney General Schneiderman for his efforts in the grant award. Already this year we have seized 30 handguns, many of them from officer initiated actions. The large volume of guns that are available on the street puts our officers and our residents at risk. This grant will ensure that we are able to properly equip our officers with the life-saving vests as they perform their duties. It is important that the department replace aging or worn out vests, and this award will allow us to move forward with the purchases regardless of our own budget concerns or shortfalls.”

Village of Fishkill Police Commissioner Glenn Scofield, Jr.said, “I wish to thank the Attorney General and the inVEST Partnership for providing funding to off-set the cost of vital officer safety equipment such as body armor. Small law enforcement agencies such as ours often depend on funding such as this to enable us to obtain essential equipment for the safety and well-being of our officers.”

Rhinebeck Police Officer in Charge, Sergeant Pete Dunnsaid, “We would like to thank the Attorney General's office for awarding the Rhinebeck Police Department the funds necessary to purchase 12 bulletproof vests. Programs, like InVest, make all the difference to small agencies with limited resources.”

Town of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Thomas Mauro said, “Bulletproof vests have saved many officers’ lives throughout the years. The importance of replacing the officers’ body armor, which updates the protective material and ensures a proper fit, cannot be overstated. These vests can reduce the risk of injury and death to our officers that protect and serve the public daily. The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department would like to thank New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman for the funding to purchase these vests and help keep our officers safe.”

The Attorney General’s office committed $3.5 million from criminal and civil forfeiture funds to create the inVEST Partnership. The office began accepting applications for the inVEST Partnership on June 9th. The awards announced today represent the third round of funding. Subsequent rounds will be announced in the coming weeks. For those departments that receive awards, matching funds will cover up to 50 percent of the total costs of vests, vest carriers, attachments, inserts, fitting, shipping and applicable taxes. Funding is available to equip newly hired officers or to replace expiring vests for veteran officers. Vests must conform with the performance standards delineated by NIJ in its most recent testing report. 

The inVEST Partnership will provide matching funds for between 6,000 and 10,000 vests. Although the initial priority application deadline for the inVEST Partnership has passed, law enforcement agencies still in need of funding for protective vests are encouraged to apply. Late applicants will be reviewed based on funding availability, on a first-come, first-serve basis. In order to apply, an agency must be a member of or join the United States Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Equitable Sharing Program. Approved departments will be required to submit receipts for reimbursement by the end of this year. 

The following law enforcement agencies received awards today:

The first round awards for Western New York, the Capital Region and the North Country can be found here. The second round awards for New York City and Long Island can be found here.