NAPO Victory!! Senate Passes BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act

May 7, 2015

Last night the Senate passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program Reauthorization Act.  NAPO has expended all available efforts to garner support for this critical piece of legislation.  We are thrilled to share this victory with our members.

The BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the highly successful BVP Grant Program and ensures that all of America’s law enforcement officers are provided with the life-saving protection they need. The BVP Grant Program is a critical resource for state and local jurisdictions. This program has issued more than one million lifesaving vests to 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country since it was established in 1999. However, while many officers are protected by bullet-resistant armor, an alarming number of officers, many in small departments across the United States, are not afforded this same protection due to local budget constraints. NAPO has worked closely with the Senate bill’s sponsors, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to garner support for this legislation to ensure that all law enforcement officers are protected with bullet resistant armor.

NAPO has spent countless hours meeting and talking with staffers for key members of the Senate to garner support for this bill.  We are thrilled that our efforts were successful, and we’re looking forward to working with you to pass this legislation during this Congress.

If you have any questions about the BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act, please contact Melissa Nee at:  mnee@napo.org.