From fiscal years 2006 through 2011, the JAG program awarded about  $4 billion, including about $2 billion in funding from the American  Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to help state and local  jurisdictions fund a wide variety of criminal justice activities, including  corrections, prosecution and courts, and law enforcement, among  others. Within the “law enforcement” area, the JAG program permits grantees to  purchase equipment, such as ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant vests. However, BJA does not know how much grantees have spent on body  armor because it is not required to track expenditures for specific  purposes. In particular, NIJ’s  research has supported studies to enhance compliance test methods; augment ballistic materials; improve the design, comfort, and coverage of body armor; explore the effect of increased body armor coverage on the ability of  officers to comfortably carry out their duties; and examine the effects of physical and environmental factors, such as  extreme temperatures, on the performance and wear and tear of body  armor. NIJ has been setting voluntary body armor performance standards since  1972. Specifically, the online BVP  system is designed to allow only jurisdictions approved through the award process to submit  payment requests to ensure the eligibility of the jurisdictions;  require that the highest elected official in the jurisdiction, or his or her  designee, electronically verify payment requests to ensure  accountability; allow BVP funding recipients to request payments for purchased vest  models approved by NIJ, which appear on the drop-down list within  the online system, to ensure that funds are only used for NIJ- compliant body armor;  require BVP funding recipients to manually enter details from the  purchase invoice, including the quantity, date ordered, and unit price  to ensure that the body armor was purchased within the 2-year period  specified in the terms of the BVP award and enhance accountability  by allowing the request to be traced back to a specific purchase; and not allow BVP funding recipients to enter costs exceeding the  authorized limit of $2,250 per vest. BJA Could Enhance Controls over the BVP Program to Better Manage Risk

BJA has designed several controls, but it could take two key actions to  strengthen them. The BVP program has not deobligated undisbursed funds for future use  from grant awards whose terms have ended. Of this amount, the program disbursed about $247 million to  grantees through reimbursements. About $27 million in funds that BJA could deobligate. Thus, BJA could  deobligate funds from these grants that have closed. A  number of factors can affect the use and effectiveness of body armor. DOJ has taken steps to address these factors  and has efforts under way to further advance the use and effectiveness of  body armor. Comfort, fit, and coverage. Exposure to environmental conditions. Recommendations for Executive Action

To enhance management of body armor funding, improve grantee  accountability in the use of federal funds, reduce the risk of grantee  noncompliance with program requirements, and ensure consistency in the  department’s efforts to promote law enforcement officer safety, we  recommend that the BJA Director take the following five actions:  1. Deobligate undisbursed funds from grants in the BVP program that  have closed. 3. 4. DOJ generally agreed with the recommendation that it establish  requirements within the JAG program that grantees using the  money for body armor purchases have written mandatory wear  policies in place and that they are permitted to purchase only NIJ- compliant body armor. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report answers the following questions: (1) What efforts does the  Department of Justice (DOJ) have under way to support state and local  law enforcement’s use of body armor? (3) What factors  affect body armor’s use and effectiveness and how has DOJ has  addressed these factors? To identify DOJ’s body armor efforts to support state and local law  enforcement, we examined program data on BJA’s Bulletproof Vest  Partnership (BVP) program for fiscal years 1999 through 2011 as well as  its Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program for fiscal years  2006 through 2011. These are two grant programs supporting state and  local law enforcement’s purchases of body armor. To evaluate the extent to which DOJ designed controls over and  coordinated its body armor efforts, we assessed DOJ’s body armor  program policies, procedures, processes, and coordination efforts using  standards for internal control in the federal government and leading  practices for grant management and stakeholder coordination.discussed body armor efforts and coordination issues with federal officials  inside and outside of DOJ. We obtained perspectives on NIJ’s coordination efforts and body armor  standards and compliance testing programs from interviews with  nonprobability samples of six body armor manufacturers, two NIJ- approved body armor testing laboratories, and two body armor materials  manufacturers.
Why GAO Did This Study

Since 1987, body armorin the form of ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant vestshas reportedly saved the lives of over 3,000 law enforcement officers nationwide. Recognizing body armors value, the Department of Justice (DOJ)through its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and its National Institute of Justice (NIJ)has implemented initiatives to support state and local law enforcement agencies use of body armor. GAO was asked to examine (1) DOJs efforts to support the use of body armor, (2) the extent to which DOJ has designed controls to manage and coordinate these efforts, and (3) the factors affecting body armors use and effectiveness and steps DOJ has taken to address them. GAO reviewed information on DOJs efforts, and interviewed officials from BJA, NIJ, 6 manufacturers, 2 laboratories, 3 law enforcement associations, 10 state and local jurisdictions, and 12 stakeholders in and outside of government. GAO selected these organizations nonrandomly based in part on their size, and location. GAO also examined body armor literature on key factors affecting body armors use and effectiveness and reviewed DOJs efforts to address these factors.

What GAO Found

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has a number of initiatives to support body armor use by state and local law enforcement, including funding, research, standards development, and testing programs. Two Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant programs provide funding to state and local law enforcement to facilitate their body armor purchases. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program offers 2-year grants on a reimbursable basis. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program provides 4-year grant money up front that can be used to fund body armor procurement along with other criminal justice activities. Since the BVP programs inception in 1999, it has reimbursed grantees about $247 million for their purchases of nearly 1 million vests. The JAG program has provided nearly $4 billion from fiscal years 2006 through 2011, but BJA does not know how much of this amount grantees have spent on body armor because it is not required to track expenditures for specific purposes. BJA reports that from fiscal years 2006 through 2011, 357 grantees intended to use JAG funds for ballistic-resistant vest procurement, but it does not track how many grantees intended to purchase stab-resistant vests. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) sponsors body armor research, establishes body armor performance standards, and oversees body armor testing for compliance.
DOJ designed several internal controls to manage and coordinate BJAs and NIJs body armor activities, but could take steps to strengthen them, consistent with standards for internal control. For example, the BVP program has not deobligated about $27 million in undisbursed funds from grant awards whose terms have ended. To strengthen fund management, DOJ could deobligate these funds for grants that have closed and, for example, apply the amounts to new awards or reduce requests for future budgets. Also, unlike the BVP program, the JAG program does not require that the body armor purchased be NIJ compliant or that officers be mandated to wear the armor purchased. To promote officer safety and harmonize the BVP and JAG programs, DOJ could establish consistent body armor requirements.
Factors affecting body armor use and effectiveness include law enforcement agencies policies mandating wear; the comfort, fit, and coverage of the vests; degradation caused by wear and tear; and exposure to environmental conditions. Among other efforts to address these factors, DOJ has revised its standards and compliance tests to incorporate the latest technology.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that among other actions, DOJ deobligate undisbursed funds from grants in the BVP program that have closed, establish consistent requirements within its body armor grant programs, and track grantees intended stab-resistant vest purchases. DOJ generally agreed with the recommendations.