Protection for the Police: New Investments In Protective Gear

It goes without saying that being a police officer is an incredibly difficult job. They are exposed to the worst that society has to offer and for the most part, the job they do is  thankless.

That however is kind of what all these brave men and women signed up for. They understand that they aren't necessarily going to be thanked but they do their best to make sure the rest of us normal people stay safe.

That being said it doesn't mean the job can't be difficult. Well, some Hudson Valley police departments have something to look forward to now and it's also something that will make their job a little bit easier.

DOJ Awarding Police Grants

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently awarded a $20 million dollar grant to police departments nationwide. The grant itself will be distributed to respective states, then the states will distribute funds to individual county departments. New York State's sum of the grant came out to $1.2 million and respective counties' portions could range from 50K to 1000 dollars. The purpose of this grant money is for law enforcement to invest in new body armor, particularly new bulletproof vests.

In the state of New York, some police departments were also awarded additional funding all for the purpose of purchasing new body armor. These additional funds ranged between 10K and 30K. City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Tom Pape was quoted saying...

Bulletproof vests are essential to every law enforcement officer for their safety....You can’t put a price on an officer’s life, which oftentimes is saved by body armor.

In addition, Chief Pape also recalled how at the start of his career, bulletproof vests were not made for specific officers in mind and that they had more of a one size fits all purpose.

Protecting Them Protects Us

An investment like this in protecting our police is also an investment in protecting our communities. When our cops are better protected, they can do their jobs better which then in return keeps us safer. I said before that being a cop is a thankless job, but regardless we all appreciate what they do.