ODESSA, Texas — Police officers put their lives on the line for citizens every day. One of the biggest things that they need in order to do that is a good bulletproof vest.
That's why the Odessa Police Department has been working with city council to get more.
For the police department, it's all about providing officers with a level of comfort and safety they need to effectively do their job.
"We’re always looking for that extra comfort level for officers and anything that provides them more safety," OPD Deputy Chief Matt Davidson said. "So we found Angel Armor, and they have upgraded features. An upgraded vest that allows more breathability, more comfort, it’s lighter."
All OPD officers have a uniform that they wear every day, and part of that uniform is a soft shell bulletproof vest. They can either wear it underneath their uniform or over the top.
"Well the soft shell is every day," Davidson said. "Every officer out in the field will wear a vest, so it’s just part of your uniform. We've allowed some officers to wear it over the uniform. It’s kind of a, it’s a vest carrier that matches the uniform. It’s a little bit more comfortable. A lot of officers still wear it underneath."
In addition to the soft shell vest, OPD officers also have a rifle plate vest that they wear when the threat level dictates.
The new vests that OPD is looking at would be a 2-in-1 situation. It would be a soft shell vest that would allow rifle plates to stick to the vest.
"It has the ability to add rifle plates to it that has kind of a magnetic attachment," Davidson said. "It just sits on top of the vest and these rifle plates, they’re very heavy, like up to an additional 15 to 20 pounds."
However, even though OPD replaces the vests fairly often, getting the newest bulletproof vests is not the main concern.
"We replace them every five years, so we’re always in a continuous cycle for replacing vests, and it’s not about just finding the next greatest thing," Davidson said. "This is actually a greater threat level protection for officers."
MPD recently got new bulletproof vests for its officers back in early 2020. These vests are also both a soft shell vest that allows the rifle plates to slide in when necessary.