BATON ROUGE- The Capital Area Law Enforcement Foundation is on a mission to provide Sheriff's deputies with a vest in the next forty days.

It's a $1,500 piece of equipment that is worth its weight in gold. Getting measured for the life saving vest is a milestone two years in the making.

“And we found out at that point the equipment we had was not adequate to protect those officers lives,” Former Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade said. 

Englade pushed the idea following the 2016 law enforcement shooting that killed three and injured three others.

“We are finally seeing what we have tried to do. Initially, in the beginning was to put the best protection we can on these officers,” Englade said. 

During his 32 years of policing, Englade says losing a colleague is painful and unforgettable.

“I have seen too many officers buried and there is no worst feeling in the world and somebody you are working for, you lose them in a line of duty,” Englade said.

The vest have two protective plates located in the front and the back. Angel Armor’s re-zone sales manager Aaron Pettigrew says it can protect against several rounds of ammunition.

“So this allows them to respond with confidence, effectiveness and have the protection needed from rifle rounds,” Pettigrew said.

168 deputies from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office will be provided with the vests in 40 days.

The Capital Law Enforcement Foundation provided $120,000 and the Sheriff’s Office received a $150,000 grant to fund the vests for first responding deputies.