The NYPD announced plans to test ballistic armor on 60 department vehicles over the next several months.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said 50 marked patrol vehicles and 10 unmarked cars would be outfitted with bulletproof finishes in an effort to increase officers’ safety.
“We have an obligation to protect the public and to protect our officers,” Bratton said.
Vehicles will be outfitted with ballistic panels on the doors and bulletproof glass on all windows, the NYPD said. Each armored vehicle will be able to stand up to ammo from a high-powered rifle.
But the extra protection won’t come cheap, either: it’ll cost about $4,200 to outfit each car. It’s not clear if there would be plans to outfit the rest of the NYPD’s 4,000-vehicle fleet, but Bratton said money wasn’t an object when it comes to safety.
The move comes after the deaths of officers Wenjian Liu, Rafael Ramos and Brian Moore, all of whom were killed in their vehicles.
