The Vicksburg Police Department and the Warren Count Sheriff’s Office will each benefit from a $23,803 federal law enforcement assistance grant provided by the U.S. Justice Department.

Since 2012, the Edward Byrne Justice assistance grant has provided a total of $131,000 in law enforcement money split evenly between the police and sheriff, according to information from the city’s grants department. This year’s grant means the police department and sheriff’s office will each receive $11,901.50.

The city is the grant administrator and files the annual application for the grant, which does not require matching funds.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong said the city’s money will be used to purchase body armor. Sheriff Martin Pace said the county’s share will buy communications equipment.

“That grant has been there for a number of years,” Armstrong said.

“It used to be large enough to split to buy a vehicles, but over the years it has dwindled down to where we have gotten pagers, vests, and other equipment.”

Armstrong said the benefit the city and county receive from the federal grant “is huge. We can use the money to augment the budget for equipment and not have to get money out of our budget.”

“To apply for, and successfully receive, grant funding is always beneficial. It allows us to at many times purchase needed equipment, and this does not come directly out of local taxpayers’ pockets,” he said.