Foundation purchases bulletproof vests for Grosse Pointe Park officers

GROSSE POINTE PARK — Members of the Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Department will be safer on the job thanks to a donation from the relatively new nonprofit Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Foundation.

On March 21, members of the GPPPSF formally presented officers in the department with new bulletproof vests.

GPPPSF Board President John Wolski said this is the foundation’s first gift to the department. The nonprofit formed last summer and raised about $24,000 to purchase 23 vests for the department — one for each officer. The vests cost more than $1,000 apiece.

Park Public Safety Director Bryan Jarrell said the vests were custom-made for each officer.

“We’re very grateful to them for their generosity,” Jarrell said of the foundation. “Their sole purpose is to buy things for the Public Safety Department that we can’t buy with our normal budget.”

Jarrell said the department requires that officers wear these vests and it needs to provide them, but money has been tight in recent years. He said each vest lasts about five years before it needs to be replaced, as sweat and wear-and-tear degrade their effectiveness over time. Department officials said some of the vests were more than a decade old.

“They’re so vital to our everyday survival,” Jarrell said. “We needed to replace them.”

City Manager Nick Sizeland confirmed that rising costs due to inflation and other factors have made these kinds of purchases challenging.

“To have passionate residents assisting our Public Safety Department with these equipment needs is truly exceptional,” Sizeland said. “The residents and members of the foundation see the value of our Public Safety Department. We can’t thank the residents and the members of the foundation enough.”

Wolski isn’t a Park resident — he lives in Grosse Pointe City — but Jarrell said Wolski is “passionate enough about public safety” that he’s helming the foundation.

The vests arrived earlier in March, and members of the department have been wearing them ever since, Jarrell said.

Park City Councilman Max Wiener called the foundation’s work “incredible.”

“It’s a symbol of the kind of city we have,” Wiener said. “We have people who are looking for ways to give back. I’m very proud to live here.”

One of the foundation board members is James Robson, a 47-year resident of the Park and former longtime City Councilman. Robson is also a retired police officer.

By email, Robson said he considered it “an honor and a privilege to serve as a board member.”

He was also happy to see how quickly the foundation has been embraced by residents and others.

“I couldn’t be more pleased by the great community support here in the early stages,” Robson said by email.

Wolski said the foundation got its formal start in summer 2022. It’s an official 501(c)(3), so contributions are tax-deductible, as allowed by law.

“I had an opportunity to meet with (Deputy Public Safety Director) Jim (Bostock) a couple of years ago,” Wolski said. “I asked him, ‘What can I do to help?’ He said the department was lacking basic needs — (new) vests, body cameras, radios.”

Wolski said Village Wine in the Park sponsored a wine tasting fundraiser last year that raised the bulk of the money for the vest purchase. He said the foundation is already trying to raise funds for other equipment purchases.

“Hopefully people will understand the department has needs,” Wolski said. “No dollar will go unused, if donated.”

For more information about the foundation or to make a donation, visit www.gpppublicsafetyfoundation.com.

Those without internet access who’d like to make a donation can contact Jarrell or Bostock by calling (313) 822-7400.