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Yonkers Police To Receive Bulletproof Vests

YONKERS, N.Y. – Police officers across Westchester constantly put themselves in harm’s way to protect and serve their communities, and thanks to a federal program many of them can now do so a little safer.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have secured $635,012.90 to provide an estimated 2,811 bulletproof vests for law enforcement departments in Westchester and across upstate New York. The vests will benefit many Westchester police departments, including, Eastchester, New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers.

By providing law enforcement officers with new bulletproof vests, more lives will be saved, Gillibrand said.

“Our law enforcement risk their lives each day to keep our communities safe,” she said. “It is our job to make sure that when they go into harm’s way to fight crime, they have the right equipment to keep them safe."

The funding was secured from the U.S Department of Justice’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership, a program that was created to provide resources to local and state police departments. The program has provided $277 million in federal funds to more than 13,000 jurisdictions for an estimated 800,000 vests since its inception, according to the Justice Department.

The Yonkers Police Department will get $4,943.91 to buy bulletproof vests, said Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles Gardner.

“We want to thank our federal partners for providing us with resources that will assist us in enhancing the safety of our police officers," Gardner said. "Officer safety is of paramount importance to our department, and this assistance is greatly appreciated.”

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