The Ector County Sheriff’s Office received 60 ballistic vests through a grant from the Attorney General’s Office Tuesday designed to protect against rifle fire.
Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said these vests, apart from the deputies’ normal vests, will protect against rifle fire, as opposed to just fired rounds from pistols.
“Rifle rounds have a lot more velocity and travel many more feet per second than pistol rounds,” Griffis said. “Therefore, these vests have thicker plates and they’re much heavier.”
Griffis added that every deputy received a vest, but they would still be using their normal vests for the most part. These new vests would mainly be used in extreme situations where it is believed an individual may be carrying a rifle.
“These things are probably going to weigh three times more than normal,” Griffis said.
Each of the vests weighs in excess of 20 pounds, an ECSO news release stated, and has a life expectancy of around five years.
These vests will be distributed to patrol officers, as well as the special investigative and civil and warrant units and mental health officers, the release detailed.
The 60 vests have a value of about $24,500, about $410 per vest, the release detailed.
