Title
Safariland Soft Ballistic Armor Vests and Carriers, New Hire and Replacement Vest Purchases- Purchase History
History
All sworn officers are required to wear soft ballistic armor during their duty hours. This has been in place since the 1990’s. All manufacturers of soft armor only offer a five-year warranty on their vests, thus requiring the OPPD to purchase new vests for every officer as their five-year expiration draws near. Streicher’s LLC is the regional distributor for Safariland products. Three years ago, the OPPD upgraded the soft ballistic armor for our officers to the Safariland manufacturer. Along with the vests, we upgraded the outer vest covers that accompany these ballistic vests. Both items fall under the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Cooperative Purchasing Contract, however Streicher’s provides a better price for direct purchase than the contract offers. The combined cost of the vest and outer carrier is $1,416.99.
Since 2000, the OPPD has participated in the Patrick Leahy Bullet Proof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program. This is an annual grant application process in which we forecast the number of vests we intend on purchasing for the coming year. Once approved, this program will reimburse our agency for 50% of the cost of each vest/carrier. For 2025 we have budgeted $14,350.00, which is 50% of the anticipated total cost of $28,700.00. It appears the estimate for 2025 was lower than what the actual need is with the number of new hires and replacement vests. Current estimates are for the need of (30) vests with a total cost of $42,809.70.
The police department recommends the purchase of Safariland soft ballistic body armor vests and carriers, with an expected reimbursement of 50% of that cost through the BVP Program. This equates to a total village expense of $21,404.85 in 2025.
Financial Impact
Funds in the amount of $14,350.00 are budgeted for Bullet Proof Vests in account 1005000-460190.
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