Gainesville city council will consider a $15,000 grant application to cover 50 percent of the cost of new bullet proof vests for the Gainesville Police Department.
Thirty of the vests are about to hit their expiration date, which comes every five years, and three new officers require one, which must be custom fitted to their bodies, according to Jay Parrish, deputy police chief.
The vests wear out from "heat, wear and tear. We've shot vests at 20 years and they held up, and some that didn't," said Parrish, speaking at council's work session Thursday morning.
The vests are made entirely of synthetic material, and the expired ones are used for a variety of purposes.
"We use them for training. We use them for demonstration. And some of them get donated back to the grantee, and they test them at a big level," said Parrish.
Council will consider the grant application from the Bureau of Justice Assistance at its voting session Tuesday night at 5:30.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/4/393702/gainesville-city-council-to-consider-15000-grant-for-new-bullet-proof-vests