[Thane_Banquo]

I thought requiring a vest was already SOP for virtually all police forces in the country.

[Thane_Banquo]

I thought requiring a vest was already SOP for virtually all police forces in the country.

[backwoods-engineer]

The only time these vests save lives is when a) cops actually wear them; b) the bad guys only have pistol-caliber firearms; c) the bad guys can't make a head shot; and/or d) the cops stay behind additional cover.

These vests are not some magic Star Trek shield. All it takes is a decent centerfire deer rifle caliber to take out someone in a vest. And less that that if a head shot is made.

[GonzoGOP]

While the odds of a cop being shot on any given day are low, the chances of getting hit at some point in a 20 year career is fairly high. Of the three police officers I know well two have been shot at some point in their careers, thankfully neither fatally. One being saved by the vest. Now admittedly that is a very small sample. But opinion tends to be based on personal experience.

For a cop not to put on the vest would be like a football player not putting on a helmet and pads. It is just silly and odds are you won't finish the game. In order to protect the public the police officers must first remain alive themselves.

[Larry Lucido]

I wore mine every day, even in 105 degree weather.

Of course, I never believed it was actually “bulletproof.”

[pepperdog]

Texas in the summertime in a BP vest? I just can’t imagine.

[runninglips]

WTF is the Federal govt doing supplying money to local police? WE ARE BROKE, and to continue taking the money borrowed from our posterity is simply slow suicide.