I've been getting a lot of gear for airsoft over the past 10ish years and it took me way too long to realize that you very often get what you pay for. I would be pretty skeptical of a 35$ vest unless I had a chance to inspect it. If you wanted something in that price range, I think Condor makes some low-profile load bearing vests and MOLLE vests for around 40-45$ + shipping.
Just taking a quick look, but judging by your interest in the police vest, maybe you'd be inclined to something like this:
http://www.badlandspaintball.com/con...chest-rig.html