Washington D.C. — A bipartisan bill backed by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff to ensure women in law enforcement have properly fitting body armor to keep them safe has passed the U.S. Senate.
The bipartisan DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act, which Sen. Ossoff cosponsored alongside Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Mike Rounds (R-SD), would provide female law enforcement officers within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with improved ballistic body armor.
The bipartisan bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
“Ill fitting body armor threatens the health and safety of law enforcement agents. I continue leading my effort to ensure female military servicemembers have well fitting body armor. By bringing Republicans and Democrats together, we are making progress to now equip female law enforcement officers with the same,” Sen. Ossoff said.
According to the Criminal Justice Technology Testing and Evaluation Center, more than 60 percent of female law enforcement officers reported their body armor does not fit properly, and report that it causes pain, abrasions, and other discomforts.
Sen. Ossoff’s new push to upgrade Federal law enforcement body armor comes as he continues working to upgrade female body armor for U.S. servicemembers as well.
In 2022, Sens. Ossoff, Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) successfully secured a bipartisan provision in the national defense bill to help ensure that women in the military have quality and proper-fitting gear, which came after he met with servicemembers directly and heard about ill-fitting chest plates and other body armor.
Click here to read the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act.
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