In the past five years the Steelhead Police Department has seen crime dynamics change considerably. Violent crimes have had an increase in frequency. Gun crimes have become more prevalent with crimes where shootings have been reported have worryingly gone up too. Increasingly officers responding to distress calls have come under fire from criminals.
This station has been very fortunate not to lose any officer in the line of duty in the same time period but we have had three of our own go to the emergency room as a result of gun shoots. These figures call for us to think of how best to try and give officers the best cover possible. Soft body armor is a tool that should not be seen as an impediment to our productivity but as a life saving tool.
Discussion
Soft body armor has increasingly become an integral tool in the fight against crime. Progressively more officers have had to wear soft body armor when responding to incidents where gun shots have been reported. One fact about soft body armor is that it can not be worn all the time. From the interaction with officers on the beat, I will look to allay some of the fears and issues raised by them in the next few paragraphs.
It is true that soft body armor is not made to be to be worn at all the time. By the nature of the function it is supposed to perform, it is cumbersome and bulky in nature. Outer vest body armor are the ones that are worn on the outside on top of police uniform. There is another body armor that is worn under the clothes like a normal vest would be worn. This concealed vest will be very useful and will come in handy when working undercover or having to do infiltration work. With improvement in design techniques and armor material, it is now possible to have concealed vest body armor that is made to suit individual body frames.
For the case of female officers, the body armor will be designed to take into account the body structure. The body armor will be gender friendly in all aspects. It will be designed to maximize on safety while not compromising on comfort. Especially concealed vest will be lined with absorbent material to take care of sweaty situations. The particular company that will be supplying our vests has undertaken to ensure that the supplied item will be colored in a color of ones choice for concealed vests. For outer vests, all will be color coded to our beat uniform. They will also be emblazoned with the initials of our force at the back for easy identification when responding to volatile situations.
As earlier stated, to address the concern raised by our officers, the vests will be made to fit designed with each individual officers anatomical uniqueness in mind. In line with this, all officers will be taken through a training exercise of how to properly care for this equipment. Every officer will be expected to be responsible for their own vest. It is noted that some of you had raised the issue of having to share vests (Quigley, 2009).
For the procurement of the body armor, two members of the police union have been incorporated in the tender scrutiny and approval of the committee. In fact, the police union has a majority vote in the committee since there are two union members and I. So far the committee has had several meetings and has been able to agree on some of the necessary fundamentals.
We have agreed on the scope and have identified a vendor who is agreeable to all parties. The particular vendor has agreed to make vests that are specifically suited to each officer on our department. We will be having follow-up meetings where we will be discussing on the design requirements and ballistic panel material. It is the committees desire to have concealed vests that can offer protection against small arms fire.
The outer vest will desirably be made to offer protection against higher caliber guns, up to armor piercing bullets. Before taking delivery of the vests, the committee will attend testing session where they will see them in action. They will also be able to personally test them before recommending whether to take ownership of the vests.
It will be the responsibility of each officer to take good care of vests issued under him. The department will be responsible for replacement of defective vests and damaged ones. The procurement committee will be responsible for the purchase of equipment that meets the standards and addresses the need to offer police officers greater protection when under gun fire.
It has for a long time being the policy of this police department to offer guidance on work policy and leave the implementation and adherence to the discretion of individual officers. The same will be kept with some adjustment. On delivery of the vests and issuance, it will be mandatory to wear outer vests when responding to distress calls where gun shots have been reported.
Also detectives working undercover and on high risk assignments will be expected to make assessments on a case by case basis and ensure they exercise duty of care in ensuring their own safety. It will be expected that each officer exercise care of duty to their partners and to themselves. This code of conduct is as a result of consultation between the chief and representatives of the police unions.
With the implementation of this policy, the chief will expect officers to respond to distress calls much more confident that they have been accorded greater protection. All officers will benefit from additional training and certification in body armor management and usage.
With the implementation of this policy, the chief is seeking to actualize his life long philosophical belief of zero officers killed or injured in the line of duty (Zakhary, 2007). It is his intention to provide officers under his watch with the best possible equipment and opportunities to succeed in their work.
By accepting this policy, every officer accepts to abide by the obligation expected of them to use soft body armor at all time when the need arises. The officer further accepts to taking quality care of the equipment issued to them and be responsible for their safe keeping. The officer further accepts to attend training at some point in the future on the proper use and care of the equipment.
It is the belief that through the wide consultation that have taken place, soft body armor will be embraced by all. Any issues or complaints concerning the soft body armor will be addressed by the procurement committee who will remain the resource persons at the initial stages of this policy implementation.
This station has been very fortunate not to lose any officer in the line of duty in the same time period but we have had three of our own go to the emergency room as a result of gun shoots. These figures call for us to think of how best to try and give officers the best cover possible. Soft body armor is a tool that should not be seen as an impediment to our productivity but as a life saving tool.
Discussion
Soft body armor has increasingly become an integral tool in the fight against crime. Progressively more officers have had to wear soft body armor when responding to incidents where gun shots have been reported. One fact about soft body armor is that it can not be worn all the time. From the interaction with officers on the beat, I will look to allay some of the fears and issues raised by them in the next few paragraphs.
It is true that soft body armor is not made to be to be worn at all the time. By the nature of the function it is supposed to perform, it is cumbersome and bulky in nature. Outer vest body armor are the ones that are worn on the outside on top of police uniform. There is another body armor that is worn under the clothes like a normal vest would be worn. This concealed vest will be very useful and will come in handy when working undercover or having to do infiltration work. With improvement in design techniques and armor material, it is now possible to have concealed vest body armor that is made to suit individual body frames.
For the case of female officers, the body armor will be designed to take into account the body structure. The body armor will be gender friendly in all aspects. It will be designed to maximize on safety while not compromising on comfort. Especially concealed vest will be lined with absorbent material to take care of sweaty situations. The particular company that will be supplying our vests has undertaken to ensure that the supplied item will be colored in a color of ones choice for concealed vests. For outer vests, all will be color coded to our beat uniform. They will also be emblazoned with the initials of our force at the back for easy identification when responding to volatile situations.
As earlier stated, to address the concern raised by our officers, the vests will be made to fit designed with each individual officers anatomical uniqueness in mind. In line with this, all officers will be taken through a training exercise of how to properly care for this equipment. Every officer will be expected to be responsible for their own vest. It is noted that some of you had raised the issue of having to share vests (Quigley, 2009).
For the procurement of the body armor, two members of the police union have been incorporated in the tender scrutiny and approval of the committee. In fact, the police union has a majority vote in the committee since there are two union members and I. So far the committee has had several meetings and has been able to agree on some of the necessary fundamentals.
We have agreed on the scope and have identified a vendor who is agreeable to all parties. The particular vendor has agreed to make vests that are specifically suited to each officer on our department. We will be having follow-up meetings where we will be discussing on the design requirements and ballistic panel material. It is the committees desire to have concealed vests that can offer protection against small arms fire.
The outer vest will desirably be made to offer protection against higher caliber guns, up to armor piercing bullets. Before taking delivery of the vests, the committee will attend testing session where they will see them in action. They will also be able to personally test them before recommending whether to take ownership of the vests.
It will be the responsibility of each officer to take good care of vests issued under him. The department will be responsible for replacement of defective vests and damaged ones. The procurement committee will be responsible for the purchase of equipment that meets the standards and addresses the need to offer police officers greater protection when under gun fire.
It has for a long time being the policy of this police department to offer guidance on work policy and leave the implementation and adherence to the discretion of individual officers. The same will be kept with some adjustment. On delivery of the vests and issuance, it will be mandatory to wear outer vests when responding to distress calls where gun shots have been reported.
Also detectives working undercover and on high risk assignments will be expected to make assessments on a case by case basis and ensure they exercise duty of care in ensuring their own safety. It will be expected that each officer exercise care of duty to their partners and to themselves. This code of conduct is as a result of consultation between the chief and representatives of the police unions.
With the implementation of this policy, the chief will expect officers to respond to distress calls much more confident that they have been accorded greater protection. All officers will benefit from additional training and certification in body armor management and usage.
With the implementation of this policy, the chief is seeking to actualize his life long philosophical belief of zero officers killed or injured in the line of duty (Zakhary, 2007). It is his intention to provide officers under his watch with the best possible equipment and opportunities to succeed in their work.
By accepting this policy, every officer accepts to abide by the obligation expected of them to use soft body armor at all time when the need arises. The officer further accepts to taking quality care of the equipment issued to them and be responsible for their safe keeping. The officer further accepts to attend training at some point in the future on the proper use and care of the equipment.
It is the belief that through the wide consultation that have taken place, soft body armor will be embraced by all. Any issues or complaints concerning the soft body armor will be addressed by the procurement committee who will remain the resource persons at the initial stages of this policy implementation.
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