The Body Armor Grant Program is for Kentucky Law Enforcement Council certified peace officers.
Grants can include ammunition and body cameras, but prioritizes requests for body armor for police agencies where mandatory, especially officers lacking armor or using expired armor.
Owensboro Police Department Public Information Officer Mark Hammonds said vests are required for patrol officers at the OPD.
“It is paid for by the department, each officer is individually fitted,” he said. “So that way their body armor is tailored to them, and of course, it is good for five years. And when it gets close to that expiration, the officer will actually be refitted for a new ballistic vest.”
Hammonds said they also use body cameras but there’s no requirement to replace those. The application is currently only open for officers lacking a vest, or who have an expired vest.
A news release from General Coleman’s office stated that 20-percent of officers within the commonwealth have no armor provided or use expired armor that may be less effective.
Hammonds said body armor can cost about $500 per vest, and is replaced every five years. So, departments can certainly use help with equipment funds.
“… funds for the soft body and armor, to the body cameras to ammunition or any other type of equipment that we utilize on a daily basis, I think it's a good thing when it can give relief to the local taxpayers — for the state government to help out.”
The grant is for soft body armor, designed to stop a bullet from a handgun, not necessarily a rifle.