ODESSA, Texas — The City of Odessa is looking into purchasing special bulletproof vests for the police department.
Police Chief Michael Gerke asked the city Tuesday to purchase these vests with rifle plates from Angel Armor for every member of the department.
At this time, officers must switch between vests that protect against handguns and vests that protect against rifles, but the Angel Armor would be a two-in-one vest.
"We're spending a little over a hundred thousand dollars to buy 48 bulletproof vests. These vests are Angel Armor and they're lightweight; they're much more comfortable than the vests that we normally purchase for our officers; but they also give the added benefit of having the rifle-resistant plates," Gerke said. "It saves time, and it absolutely is a safety issue, so it makes the officers more safe as they go about their daily duties."
Gerke also says a large chunk of the funds are already covered thanks to donations from the public.
The purchase of the vests is set to be approved by the city council on July 13.