Vermont State Police Collects Body Armor for Ukraine

The Vermont State Police is continuing to collect donated body armor that will be sent to Ukraine.

As of Friday, the state police had collected more than 100 vests donated by law enforcement agencies and members of the public since announcing the initiative earlier this month.

More vests are expected to arrive before the donation deadline of Wednesday. The vests are being accepted at the 10 state police barracks across Vermont.

Boxes full of old ballistics vests were loaded up in Hamden, Connecticut, on Friday. Retired police inspector Stephen Coppola said he got the idea after a friend who has family in Ukraine asked for help.

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The used and expired vests rated level III or higher still offer protection from gunfire.

The state police will send the donated body armor to military units in Ukraine.

The donation of the body armor is another example of Americans collecting guns, ammunition, helmets and other tactical gear in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s promise to arm his citizens in the fight against the Russian forces that have attacked his county.