UMaine Police Department Donates Vests

The University of Maine Police Department recently donated surplus ballistic vests to the police service in Botswana, a landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa.
The vests, which had accumulated in storage, were shipped to members of the Botswana Police Service as part of the UMPD’s effort to recycle old and out-of-date equipment. UMaine police searched for an agency that could not afford to outfit its officers with brand-new vests. UMPD made a connection via an international forum read by FBI National Academy Associates, a nonprofit international organization of senior law enforcement officials, to David M.G. Mosetse, senior commissioner of the Botswana Police Service. The vests were shipped to Botswana’s embassy in Washington, D.C., to be forwarded to the country’s police service offices. “We got back some valuable storage space and the Botswana Police Service got some great equipment,” UMPD Chief Roland LaCroix said.

Contact: Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777