The Purpose

"...to help state and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests...to save the lives of law enforcement officers."
The 105th Congress enacted the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Acts (BVP) of 1998 & 2000 which established a matching grant program to help state and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement in order to save lives. The BVP Grant Act of 2000 was recently enacted, providing funding from 2002 to 2005.
Allocations
Approximately $984,0000 of FY 2004 funds was awarded to the State of Florida from the U. S. Department of Justice for the purchase of body armor. Approximately $80,000 was awarded to FDLE for distribution to 25 state agencies.
Eligibility
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been designated as the State Administrative Agency for all eligible state agencies.

State Agencies in Florida must:

Register online, with the U. S. Department of Justice at https://external.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvp/login/login.jsp, on the State of Florida’s application
Complete online demographic, banking, and programmatic information.
Eligibility requirements of units of local law enforcement may also be found on the BVP Web site: https://external.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvp/login/login.jsp

Distribution of Funds

This program is designed to pay up to 50% of the cost of NIJ approved vests contained in a jurisdiction's applications. The BVP may not have sufficient funds to provide 50% for all applications.
Funding Period
Jurisdictions with approved applications have four years beyond the year of their application to purchase vests and request payment for those vests. Payments will be made whenever the jurisdiction indicates that the approved vest application was received and invoiced. FDLE encourages state agencies to order vests and submit requests for payment for vests within the original funding year whenever possible.

Applications for Funding

State Agencies

Each participating state agency must register and complete their portion of the State application through their own Law Enforcement Agency Handbook.
All State agency applications are then automatically "rolled-up" into one master state application, which is approved and electronically transmitted by FDLE to the BVP.

Local Law Enforcement

The Chief Executive/designee of a State, Unit of local government, or Indian tribe shall submit an application to the U. S. Department of Justice at: https://external.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvp/login/login.jsp.
Reporting Requirements
A Request for Reimbursement must be submitted by the participating State Agency to receive refunds on the purchases of approved vests. Click to view form
Enter the vest purchases on the BPV Website: https://external.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvp/login/login.jsp.
Contact Information

Telephone: (850) 617-1250
Fax: (850) 921-0434

Mailing/Shipping Address:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice Grants
2331 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32308

What's New!

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement currently administers the funds to purchase vests for the following 25 state agencies. The 2004 BVP award purchased 336 vests for these agencies.
Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Department of Insurance Fraud Division
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Florida Highway Patrol and State Police
Florida International University Police
Florida State Capitol Police
Florida State University Police
University of Central Florida
University of Florida Police
University of North Florida Police Department
University of South Florida – St. Petersburg Police Department
University of West Florida Police
Florida Attorney General's Office
Florida Fire Marshal
University of South Florida - Tampa
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Department of Corrections
Florida Department of Transportation
Florida Department of Agriculture
Office of the State Attorney - Sixth Judicial Circuit
Office of the State Attorney - Sixteenth Judicial Circuit
Office of the State Attorney - Twentieth Judicial Circuit

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2000 was enacted giving priority funding to jurisdictions with populations under 100,000 and greater funding availability for 2002 – 2005.

In keeping with BVP program guidelines and statutory requirements, National Institute of Justice approved vest purchased on or after March 1, 1999 as eligible for funding and may be included in year 2003 applications.

The NIJ catalog has been updated with the latest ballistic and stab vest makes and models http://www.nlectc.org.