Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded over $318,000 to South Carolina cities and counties to aid in the purchase of bullet proof vests for law enforcement officers. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grants provide funding priority to jurisdictions with a population under 100,000. The funds will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of bulletproof vests. Jurisdictions with populations of 100,000 or more are eligible to receive funding with money remaining in the grant fund. The following 58 jurisdictions in South Carolina will receive BVP funds in 2004: Jurisdiction and BVP Funding State of South Carolina $61,694 Towns & Cities Aiken $11,130 Anderson $30,927 Beaufort $4,134 Bluffton $2,570 Burnettown $350 Cayce $1,887 Central $3,465 Charleston $10,600 Cheraw $5,065 Clemson $5,869 Clover $1,683 Conway $2,756 Dillon $3,771 Duncan $1,085 Florence $5,281 Folly Beach $557 Georgetown $3,691 Goose Creek $5,817 Hanahan $874 Irmo $538 Iva $2,787 Laurens $9,800 Lexington $1,360 Manning $2,100 Moncks Corner $4,715 Mount Pleasant $2,118 Myrtle Beach $8,268 Newberry $940 North Augusta $2,491 North Charleston $11,340 North Myrtle Beach $33,710 North $1,250 Orangeburg $1,744 Pamplico $1,175 Richland-Lexington Airport District $719 Saluda $491 Spartanburg $800 Sullivan’s Island $2,057 Sumter $7,550 Surf Side Beach $1,050 Swansea $1,290 Travelers Rest $577 Walterboro $3,130 West Columbia $492 West Pelzer $1,750 Counties Anderson County $550 Cherokee County $7,100 Florence County $912 Georgetown County $2,665 Greenwood County $3,240 Horry County $1,513 Laurens County $22,500 Lexington County $1,959 Oconee County $3,390 Pickens County $661 Richland County $5,204 Sumter County $1,123 “Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line everyday to protect us,” said Graham. “They deserve the best equipment available as they carry out their duties.” ####