GMA Grant Funds Bulletproof Vests for Hiram Police Officers

The city of Hiram was recently the recipient of a Grant from a Georgia city government advocacy group that will be used to buy equipment to help it better protect its police officers. The Georgia Municipal Association Safety Grant to the city totaled $3,100 and will go toward the purchase of bulletproof vests for the Hiram’s Police Department.
Eileen Thomas, the marketing field manager for the municipal association, stated in a press release, “This program allows each city to stretch their budget dollars and provide a safer work environment for their employees.”
According to the news release, these grant funds have helped leverage the purchase of more than $2.6 million worth of this type of equipment and training.
The GMA Safety and Liability Management Grant program was introduced in 2000 to provide financial incentive to assist members in improving their employee safety and general public liability loss control efforts through training and the purchase of equipment for services.
Since the inception of the program, Hiram is one of the 130 cities received grant money through the program. Additionally, more than 500 grants were approved totaling nearly $1.5 million to fund items such as bulletproof vests, training videos, confined space entry equipment, reflective safety vests, fire department turnout gear, and police department in-vehicle video systems.
The Safety and Liability Management Grant program is made available to members of GMA’s property and liability insurance program, called the Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency, and GMA’s workers’ compensation insurance program named the GMA Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Fund.
Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and consulting services to its more than 500 member cities.

From left: Hiram City Accounting Clerk Kathie Stancil, Hiram Police Sgt. Stephen Johnston and city Treasurer Shelia Kendall. (Photo: submitted, GMA)