PARMA, Ohio — For roughly a decade, the Parma police department has received funds from the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant.
That streak continues this year with the department recently awarded $10,500 toward a $21,551 purchase of 20 new Point Blank Body Armor vests.
“These vests are good for five years so this is a pretty big expense actually for a department our size with 111 officers,” Parma Police Chief James I. Blair said.
“It’s something that needs to be done for every officer.”
Responsible for maintaining the age of current officer vests and applying for the grants is patrolman Tom Desmarteau, who said the funding over the last 10 years has covered the cost of 150 new vests.
“Each officer has a unique fitted vest because of body stature but everything has a shelf-life, so we do this rotation every five years,” he said.
“I also fit all new on-boarding of new officers with vests.”
The police department expects to receive the new vests in early summer with Desmarteau already busy applying for a 2026 Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant with more vest replacements expected next year.
Parma police department. (John Benson/cleveland.com)John Benson/cleveland.com
“This is a critical expense that’s not just for officer safety, but it’s also for really the community’s well-being because when you protect the people who protect us, then you’re protecting everyone,” Blair said.
Deputy Chief Kevin Riley added, “We’re grateful for the Patrick Leahy program.
“It’s another example of a partnership between the federal government and local governments that helps us purchase the necessary equipment while saving the department money that we can use elsewhere.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post here.
