HPD getting high-velocity ammo vests
Heavy vests will add protection from rifle rounds
The Houston Police Foundation and the 100 Club will be handing out 600 heavy vests that can protect officers from high-powered rifle shots following deadly sniper attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La.
The first shipment of heavy vests to protect Houston officers from high-powered rifle shots has arrived in the city and next week will be handed over to the Houston Police Department.
The 200 vests are part of a 600-unit gift from the Houston Police Foundation and the 100 Club. The super-tough exoskeletons will shield HPD frontline officers following this year’s sniper attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., that killed several lawmen in both instances.
“These vests will stop just about anything,” said Tilman J. Fertitta, the Houston Police Foundation chairman who is a billionaire businessman as well as chairman and CEO of Landry’s Inc. “Remember, 95 percent of the budget of the Houston Police Department is labor. Only 5 percent is what they need to protect them in safety . ... We’re able to give these police officers the right tools to do their job.”
Built like a sandwich board with straps, each external vest will cover an officer’s abdomen with a ceramic plate on the chest and another on the back to repel shots that could fatally damage organs. The 25-pound units will complement lighter, under-the-clothes vests that largely protect from handgun rounds.
Each heavy vest costs about $289, according to Houston Police Officers’ Union vice president Joe Gamaldi.
The Houston Police Foundation — which exists to provides equipment and training HPD cannot afford — will purchase 400
vests, executive director Charlene Floyd said. The other 200 will be donated by the 100 Club, which mainly provides financial support to the families of fallen officers and firefighters in three dozen counties surrounding Houston. That organization, heralded by members with colorful car decals, also purchases life-protecting equipment for police.
With shipping, each vest will run about $300, Floyd said. Altogether, 600 vests will cost about $180,000.
Law enforcement agency leaders nationwide have been seeking ways to provide body-armor protection for officers through vests, helmets and other technology.
Mayor Sylvester Turner
“These Level IV heavy vests definitely make our police officers a lot safer in doing the dangerous jobs that they do every single day.” Mayor Sylvester Turner
and HPOU members were among those at the union headquarters near downtown Friday for the announcement about the first shipment of vests.
“I am just delighted for what has been done by the foundation, and I cannot thank the foundation enough,” Turner said. “These Level IV heavy vests definitely make our police officers a lot safer in doing the dangerous jobs that they do every single day ... and I want to thank those who have given money to the foundation to help make this gift, especially, possible for our police officers.”
The next 200 vests will be delivered this month, Floyd said.
Each vest can be passed along during the three shifts of a day, potentially protecting three different officers in a 24-hour period. Stored in a backpack, a protective vest can be pulled out and placed over an officer’s uniform in the event of an active shooter incident.
Gamaldi added that supporters hope to raise more money to buy additional vests. Interested donors can visit houstonpolicefoundation.org to contribute.