Police Commissioner Bill Bratton displays one of the new batch of bulletproof vests as Mayor de Blasio (l.) and Council Speaker Mark-Viverito (r.) look on. Photo Courtesy of Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton last Friday thanked Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for allocating funds to purchase new bulletproof vests for NYPD officers.
The administration will invest $7.3 million to immediately upgrade 13,000 ballistic vests.
Bratton praised the administration “for making these vests a top priority and quickly committing this funding to New York’s Finest,” adding that he has “seen bulletproof vests offer my officers lifesaving protection from potentially fatal gunfire. In the line of duty, our officers brave perilous circumstances to keep our neighborhoods safe—and we owe them the highest quality of protection as they perform this valiant task.”
According to the Mayor’s Office, since 1978, bulletproof vests have saved the lives of 87 NYPD officers. The department will undertake a complete review of the optimal length of serviceability of vets to establish an appropriate regular replacement schedule for all of them going forward. Last Friday’s announcement renews the 2006 City Council’s efforts to ensure new bulletproof vests were acquired for the force.
De Blasio, who delivered the news at the 34th Precinct stationhouse in Manhattan, said this “mayoral investment” is reflected in the preliminary budget that was released on Monday.
“The hardworking men and women who make up the NYPD put their lives on the line each day to protect our city’s residents—and we owe these officers every possible protection as they patrol our city’s streets,” de Blasio said. “This administration is fully committed to ensuring the safety of our city’s officers, and that means making sure all our bulletproof vests are in working order. We are allocating funds to this fiscal year so we can start buying vests immediately, providing our brothers and sisters in blue with life-saving protection right away.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
