NATCHEZ &8212; Natchez police will soon have help paying for protection on the job.

The U.S. Department of Justice provided grants to law enforcement agencies in Mississippi to pay half the price of new protective vests.

The Natchez Police Department received $1,653, enough to pay 50 percent of five vests.

The NPD sees a grant like this almost every year, for which they are grateful, Police Chief Mike Mullins said Wednesday.

&8220;It does make a tremendous difference,&8221; Mullins said. &8220;As new people come in, the vests are custom-fitted, so we have to buy new ones.&8221;

Every sworn officer has a vest, he said. So far this year, the department has added six new officers and might hire three more by the end of the year.

Sometimes vests previous officers wore will fit a new officer, but many times, the new officer has to be fitted for a new vest.

The amount the money each department gets depends on the number of officers they have and the number of vests purchased in the past, Mullins said.

What the grants does not pay for comes out of the department&8217;s budget for uniforms, so the grants help significantly, he said.

The department first bought protective vests around 1984.

Made out of Kevlar, a strong, durable material, the vests protect against bullets fired from most guns, Mullins said.

&8220;There are other advantages, too,&8221; he said.

&8220;I&8217;ve had bottles broken on my back before, and had sharp instruments slash at my shirt, and it hit my vest instead of me. That vest offered some protection.&8221;

In a statement released Friday, Congressman Chip Pickering said vest grants for the third congressional district totaled $69,614.47, enough to help buy 205 vests.

&8220;Our local law enfocement officers put their lives on the line, whether in an emergency situation or a routine traffic stop,&8221; Pickering said. &8220;We must ensure they have the tools and protection necessary to keep our homes and neighborhoods safe from crime.&8221;