Vested interest: Body armor saves police lives, but not all departments require use

Some area law officers are not required to wear bullet-resistant vests while on the job, and some departments have no official policy on their use.

A survey of six area law enforcement agencies found that policies on body armor vary by department. Officers at the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Hiawatha departments are required to wear protective vests. It's optional for sheriff's deputies in Linn, Johnson and Iowa counties.

There is not even a written policy in Johnson and Iowa counties.

Officials at the departments where body armor is optional said they strongly encourage officers to wear the vests, and nearly all officers do. Those who choose not to must have it readily available, in case it's needed, officials said.

Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said his department is considering making use of the vests mandatory. He said the most-common complaint is that they are uncomfortable.

Newer vests are lighter weight and more pliable but offer the same level of protection, officers said.

“It used to be you'd take your vest off and your chest kind of smelled like your feet,” Gardner said. “They are a little more breathable now.”

The vests, commonly made of a high-strength synthetic fiber called Kevlar, usually cost between $500 and $800 apiece. A federal grant is available to help agencies cover up to 50 percent of the cost. A change in October now makes the money available only to law enforcement agencies that have a mandatory-use policy.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the change after the number of officers killed in the line of duty jumped 37 percent in 2010.

Since the change was made, the Linn County Sheriff's Office has not applied for the grant.

Some area departments surveyed, like Marion, refused to say whether use of body armor is mandatory, citing a concern about officer safety.

“I don't believe that we need to publicize when or how our officers utilize body armor for their own protection,” Marion Police Chief Harry Daugherty said. “Officer safety is of utmost importance to me.”

Cedar Rapids police Capt. Tom Jonker said he is alive today because of his protective vest. Jonker was chasing a stolen car on Interstate 380 in February 2000 when his patrol car hit black ice near Tower Terrace Road and slammed into a disabled utility truck.

It took 90 minutes for firefighters to free Jonker from the wreckage. Doctors told him the vest cushioned the blunt force.

“I don't know which specific doctor told me, because I had several, but he said, ‘That probably saved your life, having that body armor on,' ” Jonker said. “I had a broken neck, broken ribs, crushed pelvis and a broken hip.”

Statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show the risk of fatal injury is 14 times greater for officers who do not wear body armor. Wearing it has saved the lives of 3,126 officers since 1975, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

However, a national survey in 2009 found that only 59 percent of law enforcement agencies require their officers to wear body armor at least some of the time. Also, only 45 percent of the agencies that mandated its use had written policies, according to the survey of 782 agencies conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum.

In Cedar Rapids, there are some exceptions to the mandatory-use policy. Undercover officers are not required to wear body armor if doing so would jeopardize the assignment. Shift supervisors also can waive the requirement if the officer will be involved in “prolonged physical activity” while the temperature or heat index is higher than 90 degrees.

Jonker, a 20-year veteran who now leads the patrol division, said he has always considered the body armor part of his uniform.

“There are no qualms about it,” Jonker said. “It's there for a reason.”

Still, some officials indicated that the cost of the vests and their relatively short life-span were factors in making them optional.

Iowa County Sheriff Robert Rotter said because of the expense his department did not have vests until the federal grant program started in 1999. Now he and his 11 deputies wear body armor, but it is not mandatory. He said he will have to consider a usage policy eventually.

“Obviously, that's a bridge I'm going to have to cross when I get to it, and I think I'm probably going to cross it pretty soon, because our vests are starting to age a little,” Rotter said.

Tami Brands, a uniform specialist at Kieck's Career Apparel in Cedar Rapids, said manufacturers recommend replacing the protective vests every five years, to match the manufacturer's warranty.

She said the design of body armor has improved dramatically over the years.

“The amount of protection has increased, and the bulk has been reduced,” Brands said. “The early ones looked like life-preservers.”