| Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he has
forwarded to the Commissioner of Public Safety, Te’o Fuavai, information
on federal funding to pay for one-half the cost of bulletproof vests for
police officers in American Samoa.
“I recently received notice that the Office of Justice Programs
in the Department of Justice has made $25 million available to help state
and local agencies purchase bulletproof and stab-resistant vests,” said
Faleomavaega in his letter to the Commissioner.
“The grant program pays fifty percent of the cost of each vest,
and one vest can be purchased each year for every officer currently employed.
Our officers are infrequently subjected to gun-fire, but as you know, domestic
violence is on the rise, and responding to those cases can be as dangerous
to an officer as any other. Additionally, the ability of the vests
to resist penetration by knives and other sharp objects will provide additional
security to our officers,” continued the Congressman
“I know funding for equipment is always tight in this department,
but I hope we can provide this additional protection to our officers as
money becomes available,” concluded Faleomavaega. |
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