Police Officer Protection Enforcement or “P.O.P.E.” grant application

The Henry County Police Department project entitled “Police Officer Protection Enforcement” or “P.O.P.E.” is applying for a grant of $25,723.00 under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Formula Program: Local Solicitation, CFDA 16.738, funding opportunity number BJA-2012-3256.

Bullet resistant vests are a critical part of a patrol officer’s uniform, a final protection layer to help protect them when they are involved in a deadly force incident. Any situation can immediately become a deadly force incident, and, although crucial to the safety and protection of themselves and the citizens, no amount of training can catch a bullet once it has been fired by a perpetrator. The officer’s bullet resistant vest is heavy, cumbersome, and hot, but it can save his life. It is estimated that the risk of dying from gunfire is fourteen times higher for an officer not wearing a ballistic vest than one that is. [1] To date, over 3,000 individuals working in law enforcement have survived both ballistic and non-ballistic incidents because they were wearing body armor. Many realize that soft body armor has proven to be extremely effective against firearms, but it has also helped protect officers from other potentially fatal situations to include blunt force trauma, fire incidents, and explosions. [2]

Following two years of declining law enforcement officer line-of-duty deaths, the country realized a dramatic 37 percent increase in officer deaths in 2010. Sixty-one of the 163 officers killed in 2010 were shot during violent encounters; a 20 percent increase over 2009 numbers.[3] In 2011, 166 officers were killed in the line of duty, 72 of those by gunfire, which indicates an additional 6% increase. Georgia ranks 4th on the list of localities with the most officer deaths attributable to gunfire, behind only Florida, Texas, and United States Federal Forces. [4]

Bullet resistant vests are still voluntary in some departments, but not at the Henry County Police Department. Henry County Police Department’s mandatory wear policy has been effective for more than a decade. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Formula Program: Local Solicitation, CFDA 16.738 which will fund the “Police Officer Protection Enforcement” project says this: “Bulletproof vests purchased with JAG funds may be purchased at any threat level, make, or model from any distributor or manufacturer, as long as the vests have been tested and found to comply with applicable National Institute of Justice ballistic or stab standards. In addition, bulletproof vests purchased must be American-made. Grantees that wish to purchase vests with JAG funds must certify that law enforcement agencies receiving vests have a written "mandatory wear" policy in effect. This policy must be in place for at least all uniformed officers before any FY 2012 funding can be used by the agency for vests.”

The main goal of the “Police Officer Protection Enforcement” project is to enhance compliance with the Henry County Police Department’s bullet resistant vest mandatory wear policy by utilizing grant funding to expeditiously replace expired vests on a rotating basis and ensure tracking support for the Quartermaster Unit that manages the acquisition and assignment of the vests. For questions regarding the purchase or dissemination of vests within the Henry County Police Department, please contact Quartermaster Elizabeth Cole at 770-288-8213 or ecole@co.henry.ga.us .

Submission deadline for this grant application is May 14, 2012. A public comment period, as required in the official solicitation, allows citizens to inquire about the proposed program, and to voice comments. The Henry County Police Department’s grant administrator, Kimberly Monast, is available for questions or comments at 770-288-8133 or at kmonast@co.henry.ga.us. After May 14, a complete copy of the application can be viewed in-house by scheduling an appointment with Ms. Monast during regular business hours. The Henry County Police Department and Henry County Board of Commissioners maintain strict financial stewardship of federal and state grant award dollars and welcome your inquiry.

[1] House Report 107-193-James Guelff and Chris McCurley Body Armor Act of 2001).

[2] Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police at
http://www.kypolicechiefs.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=51&layout=blog&Itemid=83 ).

[3] Department of Justice at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvpbasi

[4] Officer Down Memorial Page at http://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2011

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