Most local law enforcement agencies well-stocked with safety equipment

Apr. 15—With concern about the safety of law enforcement personnel renewed following a death and critical injuries involving officers in Louisville, Kentucky, and Huntsville, local police and sheriff's departments say they continually upgrade protective equipment, but smaller communities can struggle to keep up.

Jack Rinchich, who has 52 years of law enforcement experience and is president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, said law enforcement agencies should be equipped with necessary equipment for officers' safety, including bullet resistant vests, stun guns and pepper spray.

"There's a purpose behind that equipment," Rinchich said. "It's to keep the officer safe so they don't have to resort to deadly force."

Moulton Police Chief Craig Knight said his department's safety equipment is lacking.

"I would say us and probably most of the smaller departments are always underfunded and lacking in equipment," he said. "We're in the process, it's a slow and tedious process, of trying to do something about that, but we can only do so much at certain times due to budget restraints."

It is policy for all Moulton officers to wear bullet resistant vests, Knight said. He said his department's vests expire next year and he will have to bring it before the City Council during budgeting for the next fiscal year.

"You're looking at vests that are going to cost roughly $800 to $1,000 per officer," he said. "You're looking at, if I'm up to full staff, at least $11,000 probably."

Knight said each of his officers also have bulletproof ballistic helmets. However, there is a safety item he'd like to add.

"One thing I've been checking on ... is trying to find a way to finance, to come up with money for ballistic shields for my department," he said. "We, right now, do not have any ballistic shields for our department. ... If we have to enter a residence, enter a school where there might be an active shooter, that could be a game changer for us."

Large purchases must be approved by the City Council, Knight said, but must still stay within their annual budget. He said he priced one bulletproof ballistic shield recently and it was $4,200.

While there has been no discussion yet on any role protective equipment played in the Huntsville and Louisville shootings of officers, the incidents did increase awareness of the dangers faced by law enforcement personnel.

In Louisville, police said the suspect in a bank shooting Monday was waiting near the building entrance to "ambush" officers. One officer was shot in the head, required brain surgery and was left in critical condition. Another officer, who was grazed by a bullet, shot and killed the suspected shooter. Two weeks earlier, one Huntsville police officer was killed and another was left in critical condition after they were shot March 28.

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Bullet resistant vests

Irene Cardenas-Martinez, Decatur Police Department spokeswoman, said the city's department "is very well equipped. ... Pretty well everything we use is safety oriented in some form or fashion."

Cardenas-Martinez said all Decatur officers, except due to medical reasons or for certain positions, wear vests which are "bullet resistant, not bulletproof."

Rinchich agreed with that terminology.

"They're really bullet resistant, would be the proper term I'd say, and not necessarily bulletproof," he said. "There's no such thing as a bulletproof."

Cardenas-Martinez said officers wear the vests "when wearing the uniform, training on the firearms range, or as the situation requires for maximum officer safety."

Mike Swafford, Morgan County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said that department is not lacking in safety equipment. He said they try to stay up-to-date on the constant advancements.

Swafford said some of the Sheriff's Office safety equipment includes bullet resistant vests, ballistic helmets for specialized units, pepper spray and ballistic shields.

"We have ballistic shields that are bulletproof," he said. "They are used when making entry into a structure or residence."

It is the Sheriff's Office policy to require every deputy to wear a bullet resistant vest, Swafford said.

"Patrol wears them while working," he said. "Any other units wear them when responding to a call or incident."

Swafford said different levels of vests are available for law enforcement agencies.

"We have multiple levels of vest protections," he said. "Level 3 vests will stop high-powered rifle rounds; we have these available."

Rinchich said the vest levels are for different bullets.

"They're rated for small projectiles versus high-powered impact projectiles," he said.

Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson said he is always looking for more safety equipment that can help his department.

"We're always reevaluating and looking to see what we can do or do better and that's kind of where we are right now," he said. "I'm sure there's going to be things we find out we wish we had and by the time we figure out we wish we had them we won't be able to get them for a while."

Johnson said there is always some sort of safety equipment that is needed and he involves his officers in the discussions.

"When I meet with them, 'Hey, what do we need, what do we lack?' The patrol officers, I always ask them that," he said. "I want to involve them. ... A lot of great ideas come out of it. Can we do this? Can we partially do it, can we fully do it?"

The Athens department has bullet resistant vests that all officers wear, ballistic helmets and plastic shields which are basically crowd-control devices, Johnson said.

The shields "give you a little extra leeway there. Kind of protects the officer, protects the citizens better," he said.

Johnson said the tactical shields, which his department also has, are totally different.

"They're more of where you would do an entry-type," he said.

Rinchich said all agencies should have equipment like tactical shields.

"Especially when they make forced entry on an active shooter, that's very beneficial," he said. "There's certain needs at certain times for this high-level equipment. And yet some people think it's overkill when in reality it's not. The old adage, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

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Vest options

Johnson said it is his department's policy that all officers wear a bullet resistant vest. He said vests can vary in many ways and they are always changing.

"There's different thicknesses, there's different makeups," Johnson said. "Every time a salesman comes by, there's always something different. Always changes; technology is a wonderful thing for law enforcement."

Rinchich said departments and officers have choices with vests.

"There's lightweight vests, there's full body vests that cover the groin; your typical vests are from the waist up," he said. "Some of them are designed with special inserts, little steel inserts that fit in the breastplates. ... That enhances the safety and security."

Bullet resistant vests, Rinchich said, are made of Kevlar.

"I think they're doing some research now with different types of weaves and blends of material," he said. "There's advances being made in the material and comfort of it, even more lightweight."

Bullet resistant vests expire after five years, Johnson said.

"Even though they're still good, we replace them because the company says they need to be replaced," he said. "Officers sweat in them every day, they go through the sunlight, they go through the heat, the cold. There's a hundred different reasons out there.

"I've heard a lot of representatives say you need this, or you need that; why take the chance."

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Push bars for Priceville

Priceville Police Chief Jerry Holmes said his department is well-stocked with safety equipment, however there are still items he would like to have for his officers. He said he would like push bars for the front of all patrol cars. Holmes said currently four cars have them but they have 10 cars total.

"It cuts down on the damage to the vehicle if we make contact with another vehicle," he said. "They're pretty tough; they're made out of metal, steel. It just cuts down on damage to the front end."

Holmes said the quote he has on six push bars for the remaining Chevrolet Tahoes is $7,000.

"I did provide our mayor with this quote and it's in the decision making process at this time," he said. "We're in the middle of our budget year, but I expect this to be approved in the near future."

His department has ballistic shields, Holmes said.

"We do have access to a ballistic shield going into certain situations," he said. "If we're making entry into a house or a building of any kind, a structure, with someone held up inside that we need to take into custody, we would enter with something like that."

Holmes said all his officers wear bullet resistant vests and the vests are up-to-date.

"Our body armor is fine; we just replenished our body armor," he said. "They were expiring so we all got new body armor."

In Moulton, Knight said budget restraints make providing for his officers difficult.

"Things arise all throughout the year and sometimes there's just not money allocated for these things," he said. "For me, safety of my officers comes first. Unfortunately I just don't have the money I need to spend on them all the time."

Rinchich said funding seems to be a national problem.

"Every agency, larger or small now regardless of the size, they're facing budget restraints and budget issues," he said. "A lot of it has to do with the defunding police rhetoric and trend and the economy. There's a lot of things that come into play."

—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.