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HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts police department is getting dozens of new bulletproof vests for its officers thanks to a federal grant.
The Holyoke City Council unanimously accepted the nearly $30,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance grant and approved spending about the same amount from the police department’s reserve funds to cover half the cost of buying 47 new vests.
The custom-fitted vests cost about $1,200 each.
The department’s current equipment is either nearing or has passed its effective lifespan.
No councilors spoke against the purchase, but some questioned where in the budget the money was coming from. Councilor David Bartley called the vests a “noble cause” but said he was “mystified” that the money was being transferred from the department’s reserve cash and not from an equipment line item.
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