1,200 Chicago Police Officers Getting New Donated Bulletproof Vests This Week
(CBS) -- More Chicago police officers are getting new bulletproof vests today, thanks to donations from a non-profit.
Cadets get new bulletproof vests when they enter the police academy, but project manager for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation John Gordon says they have a limited lifespan.
The warranty is good for five years, he says, and the material starts to break down due to sweat, heat and other factors the vests are exposed to.
Gordon says a new kevlar vest costs about $500, so the foundation set up their "Get Behind the Vest" campaign to help defray the expense.
The foundation has been fundraising to cover 80 percent of the costs of new vests for officers and 75 percent of the cost for supervisors.
They were already measured for the vests and 1,200 officers and supervisors working in Area North will pick up new ones this week.
Gordon says that means the foundation will have helped buy more than five thousand new vests since last fall.