September 26, 2024
Oak Harbor Police Department Awarded U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Equipment Grants
The City of Oak Harbor Police Department (OHPD) has been awarded two more U.S. Department of Justice grants to fund new and replacement equipment for its officers.
The Small, Rural, Tribal (SRT) Body Worn Camera Program is a competitive award program designed to provide funding and technical support to small, rural and tribal agencies to implement and continue body-worn camera programs. The SRT micro-grant program is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and operated by Justice & Security Strategies (JSS). The program is designed for law enforcement agencies with less than 50 sworn-officers; a rural agency serving a non-metro county; and a tribal entity that is federally recognized with a designated law enforcement agency.
OHPD was one of 170 agencies nationwide awarded funding to support body-worn camera programs and one of only four in the State of Washington to receive the award. The $30,000 award will fund body-worn camera replacements over the next two years.
The Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership program reimburses states, local governments and federally recognized tribes up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor (bulletproof) vests purchased for law enforcement officers.
The program started in 1999 and over 13,000 law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions nationwide have participated since that time. In Washington state, 85 law enforcement jurisdictions participate annually in the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership program.
OHPD requested and was awarded $9,190.00 this year. OHPD applies for a specific amount of funding each year based on the upcoming needs of the department for either new or replacement vests. Bulletproof vests must be replaced every five years. OHPD has been participating in this program for many years and in the last 10 years alone, the department has saved the City almost $50,000 by participating.
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PRESS CONTACT
Magi Aguilar, Communications Officer
maguilar@oakharbor.org
360-279-4501