How To Ensure Police Officers Stay Safe in Their Body Armor

Our loyal American police forces have been through lots of traumas these last few years. Many blue states have defunded the cops, reducing both protection for the innocent and arrests for the guilty. The only good thing that has come out of the college demonstrations across the nation is the reality and realization that the police are crucial to the lives of all people, citizens, and non- citizens alike. Our country’s cops are saving lives and arresting the perpetrators of the violence on our campuses, and they have to have the most up to date protection that can be purchased.

Along with safe bullet proof vests comes the care of those same vests after a hard day’s work on our country’s streets. In this article we will delve into the negativity of those radicals, counterfeit body armor, and how to keep those valuable bullet proof vests in tip top condition.

Our police officers deserve to be treated as first class warriors doing a vital job of keeping our cities safe and it boils down to keeping them alive and comfortable in their shining armor.

Our Devoted Police Officers Are Vital to the Safety of Our Cities

During our country’s deadly Covid-19 pandemic protesters such as Black Lives Matter took to the streets to protest against racial inequality. Interestingly, those cities where the protests took place allowed people to mingle closely even though there was a danger of exposure to the Covid-19 virus. While other groups such as prayer groups, weddings and other similar groups were banned from gatherings of more than ten people, these protesters were allowed on the streets with or without face coverings. Arm and arm they marched forgetting that our country was in the midst of a serious pandemic.

Our devoted police officers tried their best but in many cases their hands were tied by those who wanted and did defund the police. Beautiful cities such as Seattle and New York became crime scenes with looting and stealing and no one to answer to. To this day I do not understand how those looters were able to sell those designer bags from department stores such as Macys worth hundreds of dollars each without getting caught. I wonder today if you would ask those minorities looking for more equality if they actually received what they protested for.

 In fact, looking back many of the agitators were foreigners similar to what is going on today. According to reliable sources at least half the college protestors were not students at the colleges.

If I could find one good thing that came out of the college demonstrations it is the realization that the police were desperately necessary and that the administrations did call them in. Arrests were warranted and hopefully this sets an example for future unrest in our cities.

 Fake Body Armor: A Potentially Deadly Scenario

The introduction of bullet proof vests for the police department has certainly saved officers' lives many times over. What this writer cannot understand is why each police department has its own way of purchasing body armor for their officers. This means that some officers are protected more and others less. For example, recently a scam came to light in Akron Ohio when the Department of Homeland Security discovered that the plates that were purchased for their police officers were unearthed to be counterfeit gear made in China. We have no objections to buying from China when it is from a reputable source. However, this was not the case in the following scenarios.

 Tanner Jackson, from Texas pleaded guilty for supplying “Chinese-made military helmets, body armor, and other products” to the United States Department of State and other national institutions while falsely claiming that they were made in the United States. The name of the company was “Top Body Armor”, and he was looking at a prison term of up to twenty years for this crime against the police departments and Homeland Security. Unfortunately, he did not end up serving such a long prison term because he pleaded guilty to a diminished charge for wire fraud and was only sentenced to thirty-three months of incarceration.

Not only did Tanner sell his equipment under false claims but additionally his merchandise did not meet the criteria of the National Institute of Justice which oversees the protocols for this life saving gear. The cost of replacing these plates was $52,000 and could have caused many police officer fatalities in situations such as a shooter in a school or hospital.

 Another criminal, Jeffrey Meining was the owner of a company called, BulletProof-IT which sold not only plates but helmets and shields claiming that his merchandise was American made when it was actually made in China. Jeffrey Meining pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was given a twelve month and one day sentence in federal prison and after that a supervised release of three years.

Why was it so hard to get longer convictions for these criminals who are risking the lives of police officers?

 Keeping First Class Armor in Optimum Condition

If you are a police officer or the wife of one, you know how gear smells after a hard day's work. You can powder the armor or spray it with some over the counter spray, but you will never get that manly scent with a regular soap or spray. A great product on the market today is Tactikool deodorizing spray which has become quite popular among the finest of the police forces in our cities. A simple spray on equipment such as the bullet proof vest and you can go all day without that telltale sign of sweat and other bad odors.

Final Words

The Citizens of our cities whether red or blue are realizing just how important our police officers are for the safety of their communities. No one wants their kids in danger either on college campuses or in their elementary and high schools with the danger of serial shooters entering the premises of these schools. Our government must put into place official standards as to who is selling the police department’s helmets, vests, or plates. The safety of our police officers can be jeopardized in one second so they must have the best protective equipment in each and every city at all times. With the right bullet stopping plates a policeman can be saved from dying and his family staying intact. Who could not cry when watching a young policeman’s widow moan while holding a small child?

When our police officers do receive quality (and not counterfeit) equipment it still needs to be cared for properly. This is where the right cleaning and deodorizing products are vital for the gear to last longer. With the right gear, upkeep of this gear, and a nation that realizes the importance of our police officers we hope and pray they all come home safely to their families every night.