OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - New bulletproof vests are soon to come for many Ottumwa Police officers.

Earlier this month city council voted to allow the police department to apply for a grant to cover the cost of replacing older vests.

“We’ll try to replace 10 of the vests every year, depending on like a rotating schedule as far as who gets a new vest and the grant they supply, or they pay 50% of the total cost,” said Sgt. Cody McCoy with Ottumwa Police Department.

The department follows a strict rotation schedule every year, as each vest reaches an expiration date after five years, it is considered no longer safe to use in the field.

“The panel of the vest actually hold up pretty good it’s the carrier that the vest go into they wear out and just normal wear and tear and weather elements,” s

See Full Page