Almost 100 Iowa law enforcement agencies will share a $231,000 grant to purchase bulletproof vests for police officers. Police departments for Iowa State, Ames and Story County are not among those agencies.

ISU Capt. Gene Deisinger said that doesn’t mean they’ve been overlooked.

“The vests don’t have to be replaced that often,” he said. “So [the police department] does not apply for the grants each year, because they don’t need to.”

Deisinger said the vests have a shelf life of about five years.

Jerry Stewart, director of the Department of Public Safety, said every time a new officer is hired, he or she receives new body armor.

“You wouldn’t want to give used body armor to an officer,” he said. “Body armor is measured and tailored to the individual.”

Huxley Police Chief Mark Pote said that protective equipment is important to job performance.

“If they [officers] get equipment that they know can protect them, they will feel more secure,” he said.

“Hopefully, none of the officers will find out if they work.”

Cmdr. Jim Robinson of the Ames Police Department said that, although his department did not receive any money this year, it is operating on previous grants for replacement vests.

The Ames Police Department has 50 uniformed officers. It received $22,000 in 2003 for the body armor, according to the Department of Justice.

Similarly, Story County was awarded a grant of nearly $20,000 for vests in 2003.

The grants are made each year by the Department of Justice’s Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program and are made primarily to communities with populations of less than 100,000. The program provides up to 50 percent of the cost of new or replacement vests, according to the program’s Web site, https://vests.ojp.gov/index.jsp.

Ninety-two communities across Iowa will share the grant money.

Huxley and Nevada are the only communities in Story County to receive the grants this year, and each will get 50 percent of their application request, the maximum allowed under the program.

Huxley will be given $930 after requesting five vests for its six police officers this year. In 2003, the city was granted $150 for one vest. Nevada will be awarded $3,375 this year after requesting money for nine of the life-saving devices for 11 officers. Last year, it received $4,600 for 11 vests.

The grants for other Iowa communities range from $224 for the city of Okoboji to more than $41,000 for the city of Davenport.

The state of Iowa, with 2,000 officers, will receive about 11 percent of its request. The state will receive money for its request for 32 new vests.

Stewart said the ISU Police Department went through the program four years ago for a major purchase of vests.

“We anticipate applying for new grants in the next fiscal year,” he said.

Body armor for police officers, including bulletproof and stab-proof vests, are available from a number of manufacturers, and cost $350 to $400 each.

— Alicia Ebaugh contributed to this article.