Stopping bullets may be easy for Superman, but not so much for the men and women in blue.

Bulletproof vests — sometimes referred to as body armor — are life-saving tools for officers on patrol.

But these vests have expiration dates, and the U.S. Department of Justice requires vests be replaced every five years.

“This is our five-year cycle year, so we do have 16 that will expire in December and the first part of 2018,” said Teresa Radcliffe, grant coordinator and administrative secretary for the Meridian Public Safety Training Facility.

The city council last week approved an application for a grant from the DOJ, which will enable the Meridian Police Department to purchase 60 vests. The grant will cover half of the $36,000 needed for the purchase.

“We order as they’re hired,” she said. “For the 11 [new officers] in the academy, we will order all of them at one time. Typically we do about 15 [vests] a year…We have hired a lot of people this year. And we’re looking to hire a lot of people next year.”

In addition to another nine officers slated to go to the academy sometime this summer, Radcliffe said the department will add five additional officers from other agencies.

“In 2015, the DOJ said all officers have to have a custom-ordered vest,” she said. “Just about every single officer we hire has to have a new vest ordered for them.”

According to the DOJ’s National Institute of Justice Guide: Body Armor, the three types of body armor models include male, female and gender-neutral and are available in multiple sizes.

“There is no obvious difference in form between male and gender-neutral armors,” according to the DOJ guide. “Female soft body armors differ in that they can incorporate curved ballistic panels to accommodate the female bust.”

The vests contain two armor panels held by what is referred to as a carrier.

“One panel protects the front of the torso, the other protects the rear. To protect the sides of the torso, the vest is worn with the front panel overlapping the rear panel,” according to the guide.

The overall performance of the vest depends on how well it is “stored and maintained, environmental exposure and differences in use.” Vests must also be inspected and cleaned frequently. A damaged vest must be taken out of service and replaced.

According to the NIJ, body armor has saved the lives of more than 3,000 police officers in the last 30 years. A 2009 report from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance states that between 1973 and 2001, a total of 2,500 lives of law enforcement officials were saved with body armor.