U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

28–399 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018

S. HRG. 113–887 

THE BULLETPROOF VEST 

PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM: 

SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT 

OFFICERS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

MAY 14, 2014 

Serial No. J–113–60 

Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary 

( 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman 

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California 

CHUCK SCHUMER, New York 

DICK DURBIN, Illinois 

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

AL FRANKEN, Minnesota 

CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware 

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

MAZIE HIRONO, Hawaii 

CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa, Ranking Member 

ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah 

JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

JOHN CORNYN, Texas 

MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah 

TED CRUZ, Texas 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

KRISTINE LUCIUS, Chief Counsel and Staff Director 

KOLAN DAVIS, Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

MAY 14, 2014, 10:09 A.M. 

STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 

Page 

Grassley, Hon. Chuck, a U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa ............................ 3 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 35 

Leahy, Hon. Patrick J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont .................... 1 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 33 

WITNESSES 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 23 

Carrizales, Ann M., Officer, City of Stafford Police Department, Stafford, 

Texas ..................................................................................................................... 6 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 30 

Zakhary, Yousry A. ‘‘Yost’’, Chief of Police, City of Woodway, Texas, and 

President, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, 

Virginia ................................................................................................................. 9 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 24 

MISCELLANEOUS SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD 

Canterbury, Chuck, National President, Grand Lodge, Fraternal Order of 

Police, Washington, DC, statement .................................................................... 38 

Coons, Hon. Christopher A., a U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware, 

‘‘Bulletproof Vest Partnership,’’ Congressional Record, May 7, 2014, pages 

S2753-S2755, floor statement ............................................................................. 53 

Mathis, MiKayla, daughter of Officer Ann Carrizales, and Texas resident, 

letter ...................................................................................................................... 44

Schirling, Michael E., Chief, Burlington Police Department, Burlington, 

Vermont, statement ............................................................................................. 45 

United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), David C. Maurer, 

Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Washington, DC, May 14, 

2014, letter and report ......................................................................................... 46 

(1) 

THE BULLETPROOF VEST 

PARTNERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM: 

SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT 

OFFICERS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 

UNITED STATES SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:09 a.m., in Room 

SD–226, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, 

Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Leahy, Whitehouse, Klobuchar, Franken, 

Coons, Blumenthal, and Grassley. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PATRICK J. LEAHY, 

A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF VERMONT 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, thank you all for being here, and this 

week is, as we know, National Police Week. In fact, as I have done 

for years, I will be down at the west front of the Capitol tomorrow 

when thousands of law enforcement officers gather in our Nation’s 

capital to honor the sacrifices of our men and women in law enforcement, particularly those who have lost their lives in the line 

of duty. 

Today we have an opportunity to discuss a program that helps 

to protect those who protect us. For over 15 years, the Bulletproof 

Vest Partnership program has been saving lives by helping to provide over 1 million vests to over 13,000 local law enforcement agencies. It is a critical program that I know every single law enforcement officer in the room today supports, and I greatly appreciate 

all of you being here today. 

This is a program that was begun as a bipartisan program by 

myself and former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Republican 

from Colorado. I mention that parenthetically because it was a very 

proud moment when I was walking down the street in Denver a 

few years ago, and a uniformed police officer walked up to me and 

said, ‘‘Are you Senator Leahy of Vermont?’’ And I said, ‘‘Yes, I am.’’ 

He tapped his chest, and you could hear the ‘‘thunk, thunk’’ of the 

vest under it. He said, ‘‘Thank you,’’ and walked off. I said, you 

know, there are days when I say, ‘‘Why are we pounding our heads 

against the wall to get things done?’’ That day made it worthwhile. 

A few weeks ago I stood on the Senate floor and sought unanimous consent to reauthorize the program. I reminded my fellow 

Senators, ‘‘If you claim to support law enforcement, you have to 
2 

stand with them when it matters most.’’ I assured them that law 

enforcement cares deeply about reauthorizing this program. And 

seeing all the law enforcement officers in our Committee room, that 

message could not be clearer. 

The law enforcement community has spoken with a single voice 

on this issue. They understand the unfortunate reality that lifesaving vests can be extremely expensive, especially for smaller jurisdictions, and that they can wear out too soon. They also understand the invaluable role Congress has played in supporting this 

program and that many officers are alive today because we did. 

I am not trying to be partisan, but I would note that every single 

Democratic Senator has agreed to move forward with this and will 

support reauthorization. Many Republicans do, as well. But a few 

Republican Senators believe that the Federal Government has no 

role to play in assisting local law enforcement, that somehow that 

is a mere luxury, and they blocked the bill. I could not disagree 

more with them. We in Congress have long supported local law enforcement because we have a duty to keep our communities safe. 

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership program has always enjoyed bipartisan support from the time Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell 

and I created it. That was nearly 30 years ago. It was so successful 

that, in the past, it was reauthorized with a voice vote. It was the 

right thing to do—it saved lives—and that was enough for both 

Democrats and Republicans. As I said, every single Democrat in 

the Senate supports this program. And I am glad also that many 

of my Republican friends do, too. But some are blocking this effort, 

and that is inexcusable. They have walked away from a tangible 

and effective way to protect the lives of our local law enforcement. 

You cannot say you support law enforcement and then block one 

of the single most important things to save lives of our law enforcement officers. And I hope those who oppose reauthorization will listen to the testimony today. They will find out this program is hardly a luxury. It is necessary to save lives, and it is worth our support. 

There are many heroes in the room today, and I look forward to 

the testimony of our witnesses, including Officer Ann Carrizales, 

with whom I just spoke. Her vest stopped a gunman’s bullet just 

last fall. And I think, Officer, if you had not been wearing it, you 

would not be testifying here today. 

And there are two additional heroes I want to recognize: Sergeant Michael Manley and Corporal Steven Rinehart of the Delaware Capitol Police, who Senator Coons knows well. A year ago a 

gunman entered the New Castle County Courthouse and opened 

fire, killing two people, two women. Officers Manley and Rinehart 

immediately engaged with the gunman. They were both struck in 

the chest, but their protective vests, which had been purchased 

through this program, saved their lives. And if they had not responded and put their own lives on the line to do it, you wonder 

how many more people would have died, innocent civilians would 

have died in that courtroom. 

Now, last night, thousands of officers gathered for a candlelight 

memorial at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The 

Memorial contains the names of over 20,000 officers who have lost 

their lives in the line of duty. And very sadly, last night the names 
3 

of 286 fallen officers were added to its walls. Had it not been for 

their bulletproof vests, Officer Carrizales’, Sergeant Manley’s, and 

Corporal Rinehart’s names would have been added, too. 

Now, you are going to hear many speeches this week paying tribute to law enforcement, and we should have those speeches. But we 

need more than speeches. We need some action. We are ready to 

reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program today, as 

well as the Blue Alert Act that this Committee has reported. I hope 

that the objections to reauthorizing it will stop and we can get it 

done. 

[The prepared statement of Chairman Leahy appears as a submission for the record.] 

Senator Grassley. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CHUCK GRASSLEY, 

A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF IOWA 

Senator GRASSLEY. Mr. Chairman, before I read my statement, 

I want to thank you because a year or so ago I asked the Government Accountability Office to look into some of what I considered 

mismanagement of the program, and they pointed out some things, 

and I think almost to every one of them you have agreed to make 

changes in the legislation. So I want to thank you for that. I am 

going to go into some detail about that, but I do not want you to 

forget my bottom line, because I have got so much to say. 

Chairman LEAHY. I appreciate that, and we have worked together. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Okay. 

Chairman LEAHY. We just want this program to work. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Yes. I appreciate the opportunity during National Police Week to highlight a program that has over the years 

saved so many lives. One of those lives is that of one of our witnesses today, and the Chairman has already spoken about that. So 

we welcome both our witnesses. 

For all its benefits, in years past this program has been administered in a way that did not foster accountability, allowed skirting 

of program requirements, and reduced effectiveness. 

In 2012, I asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the operation of the program. Following their investigation, 

they recommended that $27 million of undisbursed funds from 

grants whose terms had ended be deobligated. They also asked the 

Justice Department to make sure that grant recipients understand 

that they could not satisfy the 50-percent match requirement of the 

Bulletproof Vest Partnership program—the match is what makes it 

a partnership, by the way—by using other Federal funds as the 

basis for the match. 

The Government Accountability Office also proposed that the Department of Justice do a better job to ensure that States and local 

governments that used Byrne/JAG funds for bulletproof vests adhere to the requirements of the BVP grant program. 

The Government Accountability Office also made recommendations concerning the Department of Justice enforcing compliance 

with the document retention requirements and the tracking of 

grant recipients’ use of the funds for stab-resistant vests. 
4 

Today the Government Accountability Office has followed up on 

its earlier investigation and has concluded that the Department of 

Justice has, in fact, implemented all of its recommendations. The 

Government Accountability Office sent me a letter outlining that 

compliance, which it has provided to you, Mr. Chairman, as well. 

I ask consent that that be put in the record. 

Chairman LEAHY. Without objection, so ordered. 

[The letter appears as a submission for the record.] 

Senator GRASSLEY. The Government Accountability Office has found that DOJ has deobligated $31 million in undisbursed funds 

from grant awards whose terms have ended. Some of these 

undisbursed funds dated back to the year 2002. Additionally, the 

Department of Justice has implemented a process to review all 

undisbursed bulletproof vest funds. As a result, the Department of 

Justice has deobligated an additional $7.8 million from more than 

3,000 grants whose award terms have ended. And the new process 

will ensure that the problem of undisbursed funds does not reemerge. Deobligation promotes accountability in the use of grant 

funds and is vital to effective grant management. I am glad to see 

that this has finally occurred. 

The Government Accountability Office also has concluded that 

the Department of Justice now better publicizes the requirement 

that grantees retain documentation of their vest purchases. The 

grant application now requires applicants to certify their acknowledgement and acceptance of the requirement. 

The Department of Justice has also adopted the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations concerning tracking funds 

for stab-resistant vests. 

More importantly, the Department agreed with GAO’s advice 

that it ensure that JAG recipients who use those funds for the purchase of body armor comply with crucial—in fact, life-saving—requirements of the grant program. States can use JAG funds as well 

as BVP grant funds to purchase body armor. Previously, JAG did 

not require that grantees only purchase vests that comply with the 

standards of effectiveness that the National Institutes of Justice 

have established. 

Nor did JAG require that entities that used JAG funds for bulletproof vests have policies mandating that officers actually wear 

them. Now, the Government Accountability Office reports that the 

agency has established requirements that JAG recipients certify 

that they have written mandatory use policies and that the body 

armor purchased complies with the standards. 

The last of the GAO’s recommendations was that the Bureau of 

Justice Assistance had not documented its procedures to ensure 

that JAG grantees complied with the requirements not to use JAG 

funds as the basis to satisfy the match requirements of any BVP 

grant funds that they might also receive. The GAO has found that 

the Bureau of Justice Assistance has issued new guidance for staff 

to improve compliance with the requirements that JAG funds not 

be misused as matching funds. 

I consider the process of GAO’s investigating, making sound recommendations, and the Department’s adopting new practices to be 

a textbook example of how oversight is supposed to work to benefit 

the taxpayer and, in this case, police officers as well. 
5 

I do encourage the National Institutes of Justice to issue soon 

the guidance and the new standards that it led GAO in 2012 to believe would have been forthcoming by now. 

Following up on GAO’s initial recommendations, I requested, 

when this grant program was authorized, that the legislation incorporate provisions that reflected the benefits of oversight. 

As a result, legislation to reauthorize this program now includes 

provisions that make all previously appropriated funds not expended by the end of Fiscal Year 2015 be returned to the Treasury; 

that recipients of grants not use funds from another grant program 

to form the basis for satisfying the match requirement; that grantees adopt policies requiring patrol officers to wear bulletproof vests; 

and that authorization levels for the program be cut. 

So as I have said before, I appreciate the Chairman’s backing for 

these efforts, and I am pleased to support legislation. And I ought 

to also offer my help to the Chairman for Senators that he wants 

to point out to me that are standing in the way of this bill coming 

up. I would be glad to talk to them. But, also, I think we need to 

remember that one of the reasons the bill has not been brought up 

is because the Majority Leader wants to do it by unanimous consent, and I think that we can probably have a situation where we 

can have a very short period of debate and pass this bill, and we 

need to get the Majority Leader willing to bring it up and see if 

I can help get the time that is limited so he will be able to move 

ahead with it. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Grassley appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. I appreciate that. Of course, the reason they 

want to bring it up by unanimous consent is that for 30 years that 

is the way we have always done it, both when the Republicans 

were in charge and when Democrats were in charge. Of course, we 

would have been happy to have had time for debate. Senator 

Coburn of Oklahoma objected. 

Senator GRASSLEY. But there are some of us that believe the 

Senate ought to be the deliberative body it is supposed to be, and 

I include in that that we should not be spending all day on a bill 

like this. But there should be some debate on it. 

Chairman LEAHY. I would be happy to, if they would like, to stay 

here tonight and have several hours of debate. I will give up my 

plans for this evening if we can pass it. So I make that offer, and 

if your side wishes to, I will skip plans that my wife and I had for 

this evening. I think I would much—and I think she would agree 

that it would be perfectly okay to stay here if we can pass this bill. 

But let us go to Officer Ann Carrizales of the Stafford, Texas, Police Department who was shot twice during a routine traffic stop 

last year. I will let her talk about what happened, but she is a 

former Marine, as is my son and Senator Blumenthal. She has had 

a distinguished career as a police officer. I am glad she is here to 

tell the story. 

I am glad you are alive, first off, but I am glad you are here to 

tell the story. Please go ahead, Officer. 
6 

STATEMENT OF OFFICER ANN M. CARRIZALES, CITY OF 

STAFFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT, STAFFORD, TEXAS 

Officer CARRIZALES. Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Leahy, 

Ranking Member Grassley, and the Committee Members. My name 

is Officer Ann Marie Carrizales, and I am a police officer for the 

city of Stafford, in Stafford, Texas, Fort Bend County. would like 

to thank you in advance for your time as I share with you the testimony of one of the most life-altering moments of my life. 

On October 26, 2013, just before 4 a.m., I initiated the traffic 

stop that almost became my very last. Every fiber of my memory 

can recall each detail of what was to follow. I am here this morning 

to share details with you of that story in the hopes of illustrating 

to all of you the dangers that all of law enforcement officers face 

on a daily basis. 

In the moments leading up to the incident, I felt the night become somewhat darker, and the gentle breeze in the air seemed to 

retreat in the presence of the evil that was lurking. The natural 

peace that I sometimes feel at that hour of the night, knowing that 

the citizens of Stafford, Texas, are sleeping safely in their homes, 

was no longer, and I could sense the evil, like a snake in the grass 

waiting, just looking for the right moment to catch me unaware. 

Only I was not unaware, and more importantly, I was not unprepared. I was wearing my bulletproof vest that my agency had custom-fit for my body and issued to me upon my employment. Although my vest snugly hugged my body, I could still feel the sweat 

beads trickle down my chest and the back of my neck as the hot 

breath of evil filled the air around me. One car. Three occupants. 

Our eyes locked. I knew. They knew. I think we knew. 

The first shot struck my left cheekbone. It traveled through my 

cheek, and it exited at my lower jaw line. As the bullet exited, it 

obliterated my left earlobe, leaving only shreds of tissue dangling 

where there was once an earlobe. I remember the muzzle flash, 

looking directly at the weapon and taking a mental note of its caliber. And then there were his eyes. I will never forget those eyes. 

The metal burned immensely, and I could taste both metal and 

blood. Instinctively I raised my left forearm to cover my face in a 

defensive technique from my many years of competitive boxing, and 

I simultaneously began to turn to my right to find cover while 

drawing my firearm. A second shot rang out. I felt it strike the left 

side of my breast, and I immediately thought, ‘‘Oh, God, vest did 

not catch that one.’’ 

I could feel the immense pain and burning in my chest followed 

by the warmth of my own blood as it ran down the left side of my 

rib cage. The second shot knocked me back three steps, and I recall 

counting the steps in my mind. In those moments, my thought 

process was extremely clear. I gave myself a pep talk in between 

those three steps back. I said, ‘‘You are in a gun battle here, girl. 

Any day you want to start shooting.’’ It felt like several seconds in 

between me getting shot and returning fire, but, realistically, it 

was immediate. The suspect vehicle did what most suspect vehicles 

do: they fled. I began pursuit, and a few days later the dash cam 

video of my pursuit was released for the world to see. 

Relaying the information to dispatch that I had been shot was 

extremely hard for me. I knew what it would do to my partners, 
7 

to include my dispatchers. One of their own was shot in the face 

and chest, and I knew they would do anything in the world to save 

me. I could hear panic in the voices of my partners as they all tried 

to get to me. ‘‘Not again,’’ I thought to myself, recalling that I had 

just been involved in a shooting the October prior. One year almost 

to the day, lightning struck me twice, and I was determined that 

I would not give up or give in, even as the suspects shot at me from 

that moving vehicle. It was not an option for me to quit. I would 

not allow these individuals to hurt anyone else, even if it cost me 

my life to protect everyone else’s. Ultimately, my pursuit ended in 

Houston, in Harris County, and today all three suspects are in custody. 

When the dust cleared, I was left with two bullet holes in my 

face—from the entry and the exit—a severely damaged left earlobe, 

a large bullet hole to my left breast. The hole was approximately 

2 inches deep and about as round as a quarter. The bullet? Well, 

that was embedded in the bulletproof vest, exactly where it needed 

to be. My vest, issued to me by my agency, Stafford Police Department, custom made and cut to fit my body, did its job for me that 

night. That hot, heavy, uncomfortable piece of equipment that can 

sometimes carry an odor that can singe your nose hairs saved my 

life. 

I patrol the night streets in the city of Stafford, Texas, and we 

have approximately 49 sworn officers there policing a city with a 

daytime/commercial population of about 100,000 people. At night it 

is about 1,800 to 2,000. I do not work for a large agency like Houston Police Department or Dallas. It is a small one. I work for a 

small department, and I have had two officer-involved shootings in 

1 year. It can happen anytime, anywhere, not just in the larger cities. 

I am fortunate enough to work for an agency that provides the 

necessary equipment, such as a bulletproof vest, to offer me the 

protection while I am out on the front lines fighting this war 

against crime, an agency that has in the past used Government 

funding to provide vests to their officers from this bill. 

Even with the decline in funding, Stafford PD has continued to 

provide their officers with vests; whereas, other agencies with less 

of a budget to work with are forced to choose between what is more 

important to officer safety and how much money to put into ensuring their officers’ safety. In some cases, women are forced to wear 

men’s vests which do not fit properly and, therefore, cannot function properly and provide adequate protection. 

We expect our officers to run toward the danger when everyone 

else is running away. We expect our officers to push through their 

fear—and, yes, we do get scared—and protect those who cannot 

protect themselves. We expect our officers to sacrifice time away 

from their families to uphold the law and keep our streets safe. We 

give them a gun and a badge, and we tell them to aggressively seek 

out the evil doers. Then we tell them that we do not have the 

money to purchase the armor that they will need to help keep them 

alive, but they go and they fight the war anyway. They do, every 

day, oftentimes for less money than one might think. They do it because it is a calling. They do it because it is in their blood to be 

protectors. They are me and all of us in this room wearing a uni-
8 

form law enforcement—all our uniformed law enforcement in this 

room. 

There are a lot of these people, 286 of these officers whose were 

added to the memorial this year because they gave the ultimate 

sacrifice in the line of duty—the men and women of law enforcement, a group of our Nation’s protectors. 

I submit to you, Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley, 

and Members of the Committee, to please help us protect these protectors. 

I would not be sitting here today had I not been wearing a properly fitting bulletproof vest. My 10-year-old daughter, MiKayla, and 

my 19-year-old son, Joseph, would not have their mother had I not 

been issued this vest by my agency. My husband, Christopher, he 

would be a widower at 39, forced to raise two children on his own. 

That vest saved my life when it mattered most. It did its job, just 

as I do my job every night that I am on those streets risking my 

life. I now humbly ask you to do your job and work to reinstate the 

Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant program. Now is the time when 

it matters the most. 

The incident shook my family to its very core, and we are still 

trying to put the pieces back together. I have been fortunate that 

my daughter’s school, Oyster Creek Elementary, in Sugarland, 

Texas, has been such a great source of support for my daughter as 

she struggled to process this traumatic event. I have attached and 

will submit to you letters from the 4th and 5th grade students of 

Oyster Creek Elementary School. It is about 200 letters or more. 

And these letters are from the students at that school in the 4th 

and 5th grade, asking and begging for your assistance in helping 

police officers across our Nation obtain the bulletproof vests that 

they need for survival. They have rallied behind me and my family 

ever since this incident, and I am deeply touched by their passion 

to protect our police officers. I am so proud and honored to submit 

these letters to you with my testimony. Thank you again for your 

time. 

[The prepared statement of Officer Carrizales appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you very much. You know, Officer, as 

the author of the original bulletproof vest bill, you know, when you 

speak to me, you are preaching to the converted. 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes, sir. 

Chairman LEAHY. Is that the vest you wore? 

Officer CARRIZALES. No, sir, this is not the vest that I had on. 

The vest that I had on is currently in evidence. 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you. 

Next we will hear—and then we will go for questions—from 

Yousry Zakhary. He is the Chief of Woodway, Texas, Police Department. But he is also the president of the International Association 

of Chiefs of Police, an association this Committee has worked with 

a great deal. He has also been a law enforcement officer for 35 

years. Is that correct, Chief? 

Chief ZAKHARY. That is correct. 

Chairman LEAHY. So you know firsthand how this program saves 

lives. Let me go to you, and then we will go to questions. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Can I proceed, sir? 
9 

Chairman LEAHY. Yes, please. 

STATEMENT OF CHIEF YOUSRY A. ‘‘YOST’’ ZAKHARY, CHIEF 

OF POLICE, CITY OF WOODWAY, TEXAS, AND PRESIDENT, 

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE, 

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 

Chief ZAKHARY. Thank you. Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member 

Grassley, and Members of the Committee, good morning, and 

thank you for inviting me to testify regarding the Bulletproof Vest 

Partnership program, the one we know as BVP. As president of the 

International Association of Chiefs of Police, IACP, and on behalf 

of our over 22,000 members, I would like to thank the Committee 

for the support it has demonstrated over the years for the law enforcement officers in the field. 

I began my career as a law enforcement officer with the city of 

Woodway, Texas, in 1979. I am still there today and currently 

serve as chief and director of public safety. One of my main duties 

as chief is to make sure my officers have the proper training and 

equipment they need to do their job safely so they can return home 

to their loved ones at the end of their shift. 

Body armor or bulletproof vests are critically important to a police officer’s survival and well-being. There is no denying it. Vests 

do save lives, so it is imperative that all law enforcement officers 

are outfitted with properly fitted bulletproof vests. The Bulletproof 

Vest Partnership program is a critical resource that enables State 

and local law enforcement jurisdictions to purchase these life-saving vests. Since its enactment, this program has enabled over 

13,000 State and local law enforcement agencies to purchase over 

1 million vests. 

In Fiscal Year 2012, protective vests were directly attributable to 

saving the lives of at least 33 law enforcement and corrections officers in 20 different States. At least 14 of those life-saving vests had 

been purchased with BVP funds. In fact, thanks to BVP, my department—Woodway, Texas—has been able to purchase 72 vests, 

with matching funds, since 2000. The BVP program has enabled us 

to fully outfit and custom-fit every officer in my department with 

life-saving body armor. 

It is not just my responsibility as chief and as a law enforcement 

executive to ensure that the officers of my department each have 

a bulletproof vest. Officer safety is an all-hands-on task and also 

the responsibility of our Government, as well as the Government 

leaders, to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens and the 

lives of the officers who have dedicated their lives to protecting the 

communities they serve. 

Sadly, and perhaps surprisingly to many, a number of American 

law enforcement agencies and officers do not have body armor 

available to them on a routine basis. They simply cannot afford it. 

The BVP grant program is a critical component. 

To give you a sense of how important this program is to law enforcement, in Fiscal Year 2013 the BVP program received a total 

of 4,580 applications from small jurisdictions alone, which are characterized as having a population of 100,000 or under. Funding 

small jurisdictions under the BVP grant program is a program priority requirement. This meant that for Fiscal Year 2013 none of 
10 

the large jurisdictions applicants were awarded funding. In addition to not having enough funds in Fiscal Year 2013 to provide 

awards to any of the large jurisdiction applicants, there were insufficient funds to provide even the maximum 50 percent to all small 

jurisdiction applicants. Small jurisdictions that applied received 

only 37.10 percent of the amount they requested on their applications. 

Officer safety and wellness has always been the IACP’s top priority. It is the position of the organization that no injury to or 

death of a law enforcement professional is acceptable. A key element to officer safety is the use of bulletproof vests. That is why 

the IACP has developed a model policy for providing law enforcement officers with guidelines for the proper use, care, and wear of 

body armor. In addition, the IACP has adopted a resolution for 

mandatory vest wear. The resolution calls for all law enforcement 

executives to immediately develop and implement mandatory body 

wear for their departments. 

In addition, the IACP partnered with DuPont in 1987 to create 

the IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club. The mission of the club 

is to reduce death and disability by encouraging increased wearing 

of body armor. The Survivors’ Club also recognizes and honors 

those deserving individuals who, as a result of wearing personal 

body armor, have survived a life-threatening or life-disabling incident. 

Since its inception, we know there have been 3,180 verified, documented saves by the Survivors’ Club thanks to body armor. I do 

not have enough time to detail every incident, but I would like to 

call a few to your attention. 

Just this past, in Killeen, Texas, a town about 60 miles from 

Woodway, Texas, two officers serving a narcotics search warrant 

came under severe fire. The two officers hit were saved from gunfire and spared life injuries by wearing their vests. 

Vest purchases with BVP funds have also saved lives from incidents in Prescott, Arizona; southern New York; North Charleston, 

South Carolina; Burbank, Illinois; Somerville, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and I brought a vest that I will show you at 

the end from Graham, Texas, where a vest saved an officer’s life. 

It is important to note that these vests do not just protect 

against assaults with firearms. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, an officer was stabbed and saved by his vest. In Iron County, Utah, and 

Des Moines, Iowa, police officers were both saved from vehicular 

crashes because of their vests. 

I think this helps demonstrate how vests save the lives of officers 

all across this great country. These officers and the thousands of 

officers like them were able to return home to their family, friends, 

and loved ones thanks to the live-saving bulletproof vests they 

wore. 

What many people do not realize is a broad-reaching effect when 

an officer is killed or even wounded. Not only does the officer suffer, but so does the officer’s family, friends, and police colleagues, 

as I heard from my colleague just a few minutes ago. The death 

of a law enforcement officer has a shocking impact upon the agency 

and the community as a whole. The unique effects can range from 

reduced productivity and low morale among officers to public fear-
11 

fulness and sorrow. There is also the potential for strained relations between the community and the law enforcement agency. 

In addition to the human costs, there are great financial and 

operational costs to consider. Currently, the U.S. Department of 

Justice, under the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Public Safety Officers Benefits Program, provides $323,035 in death and education 

benefits to survivors of fallen officers. The average cost of a bulletproof vest is between $800 to $1,000. That roughly would translate 

to at least 323 vests if could just save one life with a vest if more 

departments just had the assistance. 

The loss of one officer in an agency can have a crippling effect 

upon manpower and the agency’s ability to deliver services, the 

devastating blow that is inevitably on his fellow officers, friends, 

and colleagues. 

The death or injury of an officer creates a wide variety of unanticipated and very costly expenditures for the agency. Possible expenditures include medical bills, funeral expenses, workers’ compensation and death benefit payments, increased insurance premiums, sick leave, retirement system costs, legal fees, civil judgments, replacement and retraining expenses, and overtime pay. 

Viewed solely in a financial light, the effects of an officer’s death 

can have significant consequences. 

As a father of twin girls, a husband, a police chief, and president 

of the IACP, I urge you to please support the reauthorization of the 

BVP program as soon as possible. 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the importance of the Bulletproof Vest grant program, and at 

this time I would be happy to answer any questions, or if you 

would like, I can certainly hold this vest up and show you what it 

did. 

[The prepared statement of Chief Zakhary appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. We are going to get to the vest in just a moment, but thank you, Chief. 

In my years in law enforcement, a different aspect of it, I was 

only shot at once, and fortunately he was a really lousy shot, because I was not wearing anything protective and I was not smart 

enough to do what Officer Carrizales did, get into a crouch. I just 

stood and swore at the guy, and he ran away. I wish I could remember what it was I said. 

I could not help but think, I am currently the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and that is one of the Senate offices that come 

with a security detail, and I was looking at a couple of our security 

officers listening very intently to what you are saying. Fortunately, 

the Capitol Police provide these vests. I wish everybody did. In fact, 

I will be submitting a letter from the Chief of Police of Burlington, 

Vermont, Michael Schirling. That is our largest police department 

in Vermont, which is a very small State, as you know, speaking of 

the value of these. 

[The letter appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Officer Carrizales, you testified your life was 

saved because you had a vest that was uniquely fitted for your 

body. Some female officers in other jurisdictions are forced to wear 

men’s vests which, for the obvious reasons, do not fit properly. One 
12 

improvement in our bill is to give a grant preference to agencies 

that provide uniquely fitted vests for female officers and others. 

You have one of those vests there, do you not, on the table? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes, Chairman, I do. 

Chairman LEAHY. Could you hold it up, please? 

Officer CARRIZALES. This is a very small—small—woman’s vest, 

obviously not one that I could fit, but it does show that it is custom 

made. It has got the breast plates in the front. Obviously women’s 

bodies are shaped differently. So whoever wore this vest, this vest 

was clearly tailored to that female officer’s body. 

The curves tend to run deeper under the armpit area to compensate for the structure of the woman’s body and the contours of 

a woman’s body, and they usually ride slightly higher up in the 

front, depending upon the build of the woman. But, yes, it is designed specific to each woman. 

Chairman LEAHY. Everybody is built differently. 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes. 

Chairman LEAHY. And you do require that. If you really want it 

to be protective, if you really want an officer to wear it, it has got 

to be something that fits. That’s pretty basic, right? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Well, that is correct. As with anything, we 

cannot use something to its optimal level if it is not—if it does not 

fit or work properly. And if a vest is not fitted to your body, it is 

not going to protect you where it needs to protect you, and it is not 

going to work properly. It is pretty much counterproductive. A 

woman wearing a man’s vest, it is flat, so it tends to slide up and 

ride up, and the collar will kind of cut up against your collarbone. 

Well, I have seen female officers grabbed because it is exposed. 

They are grabbed from that area because it almost serves as a 

weapon against them. And that thing is strapped onto your body, 

so it is much like your hair. Once somebody grabs hold of that 

area, they have got you. 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, your hair. I do not really have that problem. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Chief Zakhary—— 

Senator GRASSLEY. Could I follow on? 

Chairman LEAHY. Sure. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Because I was going to ask a question along 

that line. You can take the time out of my—— 

Chairman LEAHY. No, no. Go ahead. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Along the lines of what he was asking about, 

I was going to ask you, are there any other changes needed to 

make sure that body armor is worn equally by male and female officers and is equally effective for both male or female officers? Or 

do you think that has been taken care of now? 

Officer CARRIZALES. I believe that I am understanding your question are there any more changes that I could suggest be made for 

vests for both male and female to make them more productive? 

Senator GRASSLEY. Yes. 

Officer CARRIZALES. Well, they could stand to be a bit lighter, a 

bit thinner, with the same protection. And I know for a fact that 

the company who provides the vests for our agency, which is PointBlank, has done that. Vests, from what I understand, they make 
13 

improvements, you know, every year on vests. So a lighter vest, a 

thinner vest that would provide the same if not more protection, 

that is obviously going to be a winner for every officer that has to 

wear one. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you. 

It has been my experience—and correct me if I am wrong—over 

the years since Senator Campbell and I started this program, we 

have seen improvements in the vests. Is that correct? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes. 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you. I remember the vest that police officers had when I was a prosecutor. They were almost unwearable, 

and that serves no purpose. 

I think, Chief, you talked about these stories of police officers’ 

lives that have been saved, and there are thousands more. I know 

that. We had a terrible shooting here in Washington, right near the 

Capitol, last fall at the Navy Yard. There was a brutal firefight in 

that. A Metropolitan Police Department officer was shot in the 

chest. His bulletproof vest saved his life. He was able to return fire 

and stop a gunman who was hell-bent on killing as many people 

as he could. 

Now, you have a vest there, I understand, from the Graham, 

Texas, police officer—— 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir. 

Chairman LEAHY. Would you tell about what happened there? 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir. May I stand up? 

Chairman LEAHY. Please do. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Last week, I was in a training session in Waco, 

Texas, and I was talking to my colleagues. There were about 90 

chiefs at the meeting, and I was just talking to them about how 

important this vest program was. And the chief, Tony Winder, 

came to me, and he says, ‘‘I would have lost an officer. Officer 

Putman would have been killed.’’ I asked him if the case had been 

adjudicated, and he said, yes, it had been. And I asked him, ‘‘Is 

there any chance I can have that vest to demonstrate what happens?’’ 

This vest is what Officer Putman was wearing in 2002. As you 

can see, he had it on similar to me right here. You see where that 

bullet hit? I am not a doctor, I do not play God, but I am pretty 

certain that would have been a fatal shot right there. That bullet 

ricocheted off of there. The vest would have been like this, what 

is captured right here. Yes, he did suffer some cuts, and, yes, he 

did have some injuries. This is what the back of his vest looked 

like. But that officer is alive. That officer is back on the streets 

today, and he is doing well. Bulletproof vests. 

Chairman LEAHY. I do not think it is playing God, Chief, and 

none of us do, and I appreciate that. But I think we both know 

enough about firearms, we both know enough about ballistics, and 

we both know what would have happened if that officer had not 

had that vest. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir, and I want to reiterate what you said. 

In 1979, the bulletproof vest that I was given had a steel plate in 

it. So to address Mr. Grassley’s comment, there has been—NIJ has 
14 

worked very closely with IACP. We have made tremendous improvements in the vests, and custom-fit vests do work. 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, I do not want to be overly parochial, but 

my State has 625,000 people. Chief Schirling, whose testimony I 

am submitted for the record, is chief of our largest police department. That is in a city of 38,000. And our police departments go 

down in size from that, then we have the State Police, which covers 

the State. He said if this program is not reauthorized, there are a 

lot of law enforcement agencies that will not be able to afford protective vests. 

You are both from Texas. We think of Texas as a large State, but 

you have got a lot of small jurisdictions. Would you agree with 

Chief Schirling that if we do not reauthorize this, there are departments that will not be able to afford the protective vests? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Absolutely. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir, and I checked. Texas has approximately 

75,000 officers, and I am a firm believer that many, many, many 

departments will go totally unprotected if this is not reauthorized, 

and we will lose officers this year as a result of non-authorization. 

Chairman LEAHY. We have lost too many. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir. 

Officer CARRIZALES. I know personally I have worked with officers, even in the area that I do work, that their agency did not provide them with a vest due to funding. I know that has been rectified since I last spoke to the officer. I made a phone call just to 

kind of get the status, and they were all fitted and issued as of, 

I think he said, January or February. But that was not the case 

for at least 2 years while he worked there. He worked without a 

vest. 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you. 

Senator Grassley. 

Senator GRASSLEY. I have already asked one of my questions. I 

am going to refer to FBI Uniform Crime Reports from 2012. They 

show a drop of one-third in the number of law enforcement officers 

who were feloniously killed compared to the previous year. It says 

that only three of these officers died from torso wounds while wearing bulletproof vests. So it seems to me that we are succeeding in 

protecting officers from torso wounds. 

Today most police officers who are shot and killed are a result 

of head and neck wounds. So my question to both of you is: Do you 

have any recommendations on how Congress might now address, if 

it is possible to address, the fact that many more officers die from 

head and neck wounds than from torso wounds that the vest protects? Or is that—you may consider that a naive question, but is 

there anything that you think we can do along those lines? 

Chief ZAKHARY. I will give it a shot. Then I will turn it over. 

You know, there is a balance. Everything we do every day is a 

calculated risk. Many of those situations are in SWAT entry operations, and in those operations we do provide the officers with 

heavier vests, which we have also been able to purchase through 

the BVP program. We provide them with helmets. We provide them 

with face shields. What we do not want to do—and I have met with 

NIJ on this—we do not want to create robocops where they cannot 

move. 
15 

So I think it is a matter of calculated risk. We do the best we 

can to reduce the area of impact that they can shoot at. 

Officer CARRIZALES. I would agree with the chief. This job, when 

we swear and take this oath and put that badge on, we do realize 

the risk that we are taking. There are some things that we can do 

to prevent dying, and that is, wear a vest. 

What we do not want to do is we do not want to take away from 

the officer’s ability to execute his or her duties at the optimal level. 

I do not think wearing something around our head is going to do 

anything but hinder what we can see peripherally, if I am saying 

that correctly. 

So, no, I do not have any suggestions on what we can do for protection of head, protection of legs, feet, hands. No, I think that at 

this point the most important thing for us to do is to focus on the 

vests. 

Senator GRASSLEY. Chief Zakhary, I would like to ask you a 

question not dealing with vests but because you are here, and I 

had a chance to read a couple statements on the website of your 

international organization. I would like to ask you: Why does the 

International Association of Chiefs of Police support mandatory 

minimum sentencing for drug offenders? If you would feel comfortable answering that. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Well, I mean, I—why do we support it? 

Senator GRASSLEY. Yes. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, there are a couple of reasons. The first one 

is it is a great investigative tool, and anything that we would do 

to lessen that really needs to be carefully evaluated and thought 

out from both sides and kind of look at the whole picture, not just 

an isolated snapshot at it. But the sentences really give the prosecutors an opportunity to really get to the next bigger fish, the next 

bigger user, the next bigger transporter. That is why we support 

that. I am very carefully thinking through this in the Reduction of 

Sentencing Act, sir. 

I had two officers injured Friday night that both those guys 

would have been eligible as a result of a fight—both of them would 

have been eligible for reduced sentences had that been in place. 

Senator GRASSLEY [presiding]. The Chairman asked if I would 

recognize Senator Coons. I am going to yield back my time. I do 

not think I will use it. Go ahead. 

Senator COONS. Thank you very much. I would like to thank 

Chairman Leahy and Senator Grassley for holding this important 

hearing today. 

Last week, as we have all heard, Chairman Leahy went to the 

Senate floor and asked unanimous consent for the Senate to take 

up and pass this important bipartisan reauthorization bill to sustain this critical Federal, State, local partnership, the Bulletproof 

Vest Partnership, and to support the men and women of law enforcement who keep our communities safe across the country. 

I was deeply upset, disappointed, and angered that one of my colleagues continues to block consideration of this bill on the floor, 

and I voiced my disagreement with his arguments, his suggestions 

that somehow the Constitution prevents us from having a FederalState partnership and somehow our budget and other reasons re-
16 

strain us from having this cost-effective, proven, demonstrably valuable partnership. 

I would like to enter my full floor remarks into the hearing 

record, hopefully without objection. 

[The information referred to appears as a submission for the 

record.] 

Senator COONS. The bottom line here is that this bill must pass, 

and we should not rest in our efforts to do what is right by public 

safety officers all over this country while they continue to risk their 

lives. In the middle of Police Week, while we mourn the loss of 268 

officers who dies and whose names have been added to the Police 

Memorial. Between last night’s candlelight vigil and tomorrow’s 

wreath-laying ceremony, we have an opportunity here to once 

again in a bipartisan way commit ourselves to a positive and hopeful effort, reaffirming the Federal commitment to State and local 

law enforcement and to officer safety. This is not only constitutionally permissible, in my view, but a solemn obligation. 

For Delaware, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership and its benefits 

are real, tangible, and personal. Chief Horsman of the Capitol Police is with us here today, along with Sergeant Mike Manley and 

Corporal Steve Rinehart, known to me, who are here because of the 

grace of God and the Bulletproof Vest Partnership. The two vests 

that they were wearing provided through this program when they 

confronted an active shooter in the Wilmington Courthouse in February 2013 literally saved their lives. All of Delaware is grateful 

for your service and grateful to God for your safety and your continued ability to contribute to our communities. Thank you. 

To Officer Carrizales, thank you so much for your inspiring and 

moving testimony, for the letters from your daughter’s class, for the 

support of your husband, and for the way that you helped us understand in a very personal way yet again how vital and how important these bulletproof vests are for keeping law enforcement officers safe all over this country. Thank you for your service, thank 

you for your heroism, and thank you for your particularly compelling and focused testimony today. 

Some of my colleagues, as you have heard, have questioned 

whether there ought to be any Federal partnership in supporting 

local law enforcement. I happen to be from the small State of Delaware where crime crosses city and county and State lines routinely. 

You are from the somewhat larger State of Texas. From your perspective—yes, a country unto itself, I know. 

[Laughter.] 

Senator COONS. From your perspective, do you think these vests 

contribute to the national interest in public safety? Are there 

things you have seen that have caused you to believe that you have 

confronted criminal activity across this State or even international 

borders in your public service? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes, absolutely. I think that—and I want to 

make sure that I understand your question. You are asking me if 

the things that I have seen personally in the line of duty would 

have an impact on how the citizens perceive—— 

Senator COONS. Do you see some value in a Federal role in supporting State and local law enforcement given how criminals do not 

stop when they hit the border between the city where you patrol 
17 

and the county around it or the city and the county and the State 

around it or the city, county, State, and, frankly, even countries 

around it? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Well, yes, I absolutely do see that, that there 

is value there. Two of the three suspects in my case had been deported back to their country, their native country, and come back 

into the country illegally I think at least once before. So there is 

a need, there is definitely a need to have involvement there. 

I do not know exactly—I am not in the know on the objections 

of the person that you are referring to, but I would submit to that 

person, I hope that you never have to call us to save your life and 

we do not have a vest on and someone kills us because then we 

cannot help you. And people willfully—and they will leave the 

country. It happens all the time. It was just by good police work 

and the support of Crime Stoppers in this case we were able to 

take all of these three suspects into custody before that could happen. 

Senator COONS. Senator Coburn’s comments on the floor in response to Senator Leahy’s requests for us to proceed to this bill literally touched on his view that the Constitution bars us somehow 

from a Federal, State, local partnership. He also made other comments about costs and about the appropriateness in a deficit of our 

contributing. 

You referenced the fact that many local agencies would not be 

providing bulletproof vests otherwise, that they would simply be 

leaving it up to their officers to purchase them. 

Officer CARRIZALES. Correct. 

Senator COONS. One of the key Federal roles in this program is 

that the National Institutes of Justice test and certify which vests 

are appropriate, are current, are fitted appropriately, use the latest 

technology. Does it give you any additional comfort as a law enforcement officer knowing not only that the vest you were wearing 

had been paid for jointly by your agency and the Federal Government but also that it had been certified to be capable of protecting 

you and was appropriately fitted? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Yes, absolutely it gives me comfort to know 

that any vest purchased with funds from this grant, if this bill is 

passed, any of these vests—that we are not just getting secondhand 

vests because we are helping you buy them. That is not the impression that I am getting. And sometimes that can be the case when 

officers are faced to just kind of get what they get and that is it. 

We do not get paid a lot of money. Most officers cannot afford to 

buy their own custom vests. So we have to rely on funds or what 

we get from our agencies. 

It gives me great comfort to know that not only would this bill 

provide those funds, but they would also make sure that we were 

wearing vests that were tested and tried and proven to save our 

life when it mattered most, yes. 

Senator COONS. And as I look at the list of the agencies in Delaware that have been able to provide current custom-fitted vests for 

their officers, it runs from our one mid-sized city to our many small 

towns and our many rural areas. And I think your own experience 

reminds us it is important that we continue this Federal, State, 

local partnership. 
18 

One last question, if I might, Mr. Chair. To Chief Zakhary, thank 

you so much for your leadership and for what the IACP does to 

continue nationally a commitment to excellence in policing. I would 

welcome your comments on the IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ 

Club. This partnership has documented over 3,100 officers’ lives 

who have been saved from wearing body armor. Could you just describe the work of the Survivors’ Club, how they document these 

saves? You pretty dramatically demonstrated how some have been 

documented. And then talk to us, if you would, about why innovative technology, current technology in vests is important as criminals continue to develop their means of assaulting law enforcement 

officers? 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir, I would be honored to do so. The IACP/ 

DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club, I had the privilege and honor of 

being the Chair of the State Association of Chiefs of Police, known 

to us as ‘‘SACOP,’’ which oversees and partners with IACP as one 

of the many IACP programs into the DuPont Survivors’ Club. And 

what happens there is we highlight—at a very nice luncheon, we 

have all the State Police Chiefs there, all the State executive directors there, and we highlight at a luncheon the stories of the heroic 

acts of police officers who can walk the streets today because they 

wore their bulletproof vests. As was demonstrated by your officers 

in Delaware, we highlight those stories, and we have a police officer—not an administrator, we have a police officer get up and say, 

‘‘This is my story,’’ as we heard the officer say. ‘‘This is what happened. I was wearing my vest. Here is where I was hit. The vest 

did exactly what it should. The bullet was embedded in the vest, 

not in my chest, not in my stomach.’’ 

And so, yes, sir, that is—I mean, I can go into details, but I know 

time is sensitive. 

The second question on the technology, if I may, is the NIJ—let 

me reiterate, criminals do not respect city limit signs, county borders, State borders, or global borders. As I have traveled the world 

representing IACP, criminals are criminals. They could care less 

where they find their prey as long as they can find it. And it is 

very comforting to know that the Federal Government under an 

NIJ standard is independent, and when I buy a vest from my officers, I know it has got that independent NIJ stamp, not that of a 

vendor or a special interest group, an independent laboratory that 

looks out for one thing, that is, the safety and the wear and tear 

on the vest. I have been to their lab, and it is amazing. 

Senator COONS. Thank you. Thank you so much for your testimony. 

Chairman LEAHY [presiding]. We are going to have votes. A roll 

call vote just started. I will skip the vote and stay here. Go ahead. 

Senator WHITEHOUSE. I will be very brief. I just first wanted to 

note how fortunate we are that that Vermont criminal those years 

ago was a terrible shot, because Chairman Leahy has for years and 

at times virtually singlehandedly made sure that this program continued. And with all of the lives saved as a result of those bulletproof vests, it is one of a number of very remarkable achievements. 

It is also a reminder, as Senator Coons pointed out, during this 

Police Memorial Week of the willingness of our men and women in 

law enforcement to go in harm’s way for the rest of us, and it is 
19 

a very tangible signal of that, and it is something that I think is 

worth our pride as your constituents and those who you serve and 

protect. So we are very proud of you. 

I would argue also that knowing that there is a solid partnership 

behind this program, knowing that there are Federal resources 

that are going to continue to flow through this program, helps build 

a market for these safety devices, helps the industry know that 

they can invest in making lighter, in making more secure, in making more comfortable and portable body armor and serve our law 

enforcement officers better because they will have the reliability of 

that market in the years ahead. And I think that is an important 

goal as well. 

The last point I would make is—well, I will make it in the form 

of a question. What is the alternative? What is the alternative to 

the body armor in an active shooter situation? Chief? 

Chief ZAKHARY. As far as no vests? Well, the alternative is we 

go into the situation with no vest and we are sitting targets. 

Senator WHITEHOUSE. Pretty simple, isn’t it? 

Chief ZAKHARY. Yes, sir. 

Senator WHITEHOUSE. Officer Carrizales? 

Officer CARRIZALES. Death. 

Senator WHITEHOUSE. Yes. Well, it was a very disappointing moment—I think the Chairman was powerful on the floor in support 

of this, and it was a discouraging moment when one of our body 

chose to interrupt a program like this that is a partnership that 

saves lives, that helps develop an important American technology 

for our police officers, and all over—well, ideology, for want of a 

better word. Thank you. Thank you both for your service and for 

being here. 

Chairman LEAHY. And I should note that when I stepped out, 

that was to take a phone call from the Majority Leader, who is 

going to try again to get the other side to release their hold so that 

we can get this Bulletproof Vest Partnership reauthorized. 

Senator Klobuchar, another former prosecutor. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Thank 

you for your work and this important hearing. I was listening to 

Senator Whitehouse apologizing for one of our body stopping the 

bill. I was thinking one of our body stopped you from protecting 

your body. And so I am hoping that they will see the light, and 

maybe they need to meet both of you and hear your stories. And 

thank you, Officer Carrizales. Thanks to the bulletproof vest and 

your bravery, you have your life, your husband has his wife, your 

kids have their mother, and the people of your town in Texas have 

you as a role model and a prosecutor. 

Thank you also, Chief, for the day-to-day work that you do, like 

so many chiefs and officers across this country. And I appreciated 

that the Chairman asked the question about women wearing the 

vests. I have heard these issues before. I have a lot of friends in 

my former job. I just got together with all the women in leadership 

in the police world in Minnesota for dinner. We had a lot of fun, 

I will tell you. We do that about every other year and remembering 

old times, but I know some of them have been helped by bulletproof 

vests. 
20 

And, in fact, just a few weeks ago, Deputy Nathan Warren in 

Norman County in northwest Minnesota was shot during a routine 

traffic stop and survived because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. 

And the officer’s injuries were non-life-threatening. He was able to 

return fire as the suspect fled, and law enforcement found the suspect a few hours later. The bulletproof vest saved his life just as 

it saved your life. 

I wanted to ask you what you thought we could do to better improve the program. I would guess your answer is going to be funding, but maybe I will start with you, Chief. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Thank you. I think, of course, it is funding. If the 

program is carried out as it has been, I think it is a great program. 

What I would ask that you not do is not make it so complicated. 

The program has worked under your leadership, sir, and if we can 

get it reauthorized, I think we would be very pleased, and I feel 

comfortable speaking for almost all 18,000 law enforcement agencies across this great country. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Okay. Well, maybe that is a good way to 

end. I can put my other questions on the record. 

Chairman LEAHY. That was a good question. We have time if you 

have more questions, but, Chief, if I can just say, I also like the 

fact when you talked about having the vests, making it clear where 

they come from and how they are designed, and have, you know, 

the stamp of approval, or what people would probably call the 

‘‘Good Housekeeping Stamp of Approval.’’ Rather than just somebody thinking this is a great way to make money and do a fly bynight type of program, which saves nobody. But, Senator 

Klobuchar, go ahead if you have—— 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Well, one of the things I noticed, the manufacturers say there is a 5-year warranty on the vests, and in your 

experience, how long do you think these vests last? And do people 

wear them after the warranty expires? 

Chief ZAKHARY. We have had this debate with the manufacturer. 

They only will warranty them for 5 years. I think the vests could 

last a lot longer. But I am not the scientists, I am not the expert. 

They do it all on probabilities, and there is always that one probability and that one small chance. 

I think what is really important is to try to get the life of the 

vests up to perhaps 7, 8 years. I think that would even be more 

effective and perhaps—we have talked to NIJ about the extension 

of that through DuPont and the Kevlar material. What I really 

want to reiterate, though, is we must have the NIJ stamp, because 

what we do not want is vests made globally that look good, feel 

good, but are paperweights. They must be fitted. They must have 

that—if I am going to purchase a vest using taxpayers’ dollars, I 

have to have the assurance that if you are going to give us the 

funding that the Senator and you and everybody has fought for, 

that it has got to be a product that is going to stop the bullet it 

is designed to stop. An NIJ stamp is imperative. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Exactly. And we understand that. 

I also want to let you know that I am leading a COPS reauthorization bill that we are working very hard to get done, and we have 

a bipartisan companion bill in the House, and we think that is also 

very important. And the Chairman has long supported those efforts 
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with Byrne grants and everything else. We hope to up the funding 

this year as we look at some of the sentencing changes and other 

things that we still will be working out on the floor. I think part 

of that should be more funding for COPS. 

Chief ZAKHARY. Thank you. 

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Thanks very much. 

Chairman LEAHY. With that, the vote has started, so I thank you 

both. Officer, my son would criticize me if I did not remember to 

say, ‘‘Semper Fi.’’ 

Officer CARRIZALES. Semper Fi. 

Chairman LEAHY. We stand in recess. 

[Whereupon, at 11:19 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

[Additional material submitted for the record follows.] 

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