Providence Police get $3,300

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

Providence Police Department announced last week that they had been awarded $3,300 from the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (KOHS).

The funds come to the department from the Law Enforcement Protection Program (LEPP), a grant set up to provide funds for equipment to law-enforcement agencies across the state. In Providence’s case those funds will go to purchase six new body armor vests for the department’s police officers. 

LEPP provides grants for body armor, fire arms, ammunition, electronic- control devices, electronic-control weapons or electron-muscular disruption technology to sworn peace officers and service animals. These funds are available for cities, counties, charter counties, unified  counties, urban-counties, and consolidated local government police departments, public university safety and security departments, sheriff’s departments, and special law enforcement officers attached to school districts.

In awarding these grants, KOHS gives first priority to providing and replacing body armor and second priority to providing firearms and ammunition, with residual funds available for the purchase of electronic-control weapons or electronic-muscular disruption technology.  Body armor purchased using LEPP funds shall meet or exceed the standards issued by the National Institute of Justice for body armor.