Greensboro, NC -- You probably won't find a police officer who would go to work without putting on his or her bullet-proof vest. But for Mali, a newly-formed democracy in West Africa, bullet-proof vests are far down on the wish list.
The danger is still there, but the money to outfit and fully service the police force isn't. The solution is 153 vests. They are now on their way to Mali from Greensboro.
The vests are past their manufacturer's warranty and can no longer be used by domestic police departments, but police tell us the vests are still serviceable and would be better than no protection at all for Mali police.
Diarrassouba Mamadou is with the Malian Association of Greensboro. He saw a donation Greensboro police made to officers in Haiti and asked for help.
"The best country in the world is a country of peace."
David Robinette with the Resource Management Division of the Greensboro Police Dept. said "we see the need and it makes you feel good that we don't have to throw these (bullet-proof vests) away, and maybe we could save a person's life one day."
The Malian government is paying for shipping to West Africa.
WFMY News 2