New York City intends to spend millions to equip the NYPD's entire fleet of cruisers with bullet-resistant window inserts.
The plan to spend $10.4 million on the protective gear to keep officers safe is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's $84.7 billion preliminary fiscal 2018 budget, according to The New York Post.
The NYPD started a pilot program featuring the inserts in 2016 -- which protect the back portion of the driver and passenger-side windows but do not allow for the window to be rolled down.
The decision to test the inserts came after two officers were killed in their patrol vehicles in Brooklyn in late 2014 as well as the murder of Officer Brian Moore, who was slain while riding in an unmarked patrol car.
Officials announced in July that they were allocating $6.8 million to outfit the NYPD's 3,813 patrol cars with bullet-resistant panels, but weren't yet ready to sign off on the window inserts.
Now offiicals are saying they are using asset forfeiture funds to cover the costs of the insert.
"This is about having the backs of our men and women in blue who, with courage and commitment, don the uniform every day to protect and serve," City Hall spokesman Austin Finan told the newspaper. "This investment is our commitment to ensuring the safety of those officers on the beat."
