Andrea Joy Campbell: “Today Senator Leahy and I are introducing the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003, a bill to reauthorize an…”

“Today Senator Leahy and I are introducing the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003, a bill to reauthorize an existing matching grant program to help State, tribal, and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers. This bill represents another in a series of law enforcement initiatives on which I have had the privilege to work with my friend and colleague from Vermont, Senator Leahy. The Senator brings to the table invaluable experience in this area, from his distinguished service as a State's attorney in Vermont, a nationally recognized prosecutor, and as the ranking member of the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Since its inception in 1999, this highly successful Department of Justice grant program has provided law enforcement officers in 16,000 jurisdictions with nearly 500,000 vests. There are far too many law enforcement officers who patrol our streets and neighborhoods without the proper protective gear against violent criminals.”