Bulletproof vests to expire, cost $32K to replace

FREMONT – The bulletproof vests some Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office deputies wear every day will expire this year, and replacing them will cost more than $32,000, an official said.

Sandusky County has applied for a U.S. Department of Justice grant that would pay half the cost of 42 vests, which last five years.

“It breaks down, especially after years of repeated use,” said Chief Deputy Bruce Hirt of the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office. “Can you imagine wearing the same garment every day for five years?”

Road deputies wear the vests at all times, and the vests are issued to all certified law enforcement officers in the sheriff’s office, Hirt said.

Each vest costs $776, bringing the cost to $32,592. The grant would pay half of that, cutting the county’s share to $16,296.

The sheriff’s office should find out in a few months whether it will receive the grant, Hirt said. The Sandusky County Commissioners said they will pay for the vests out of county money, which funds the sheriff’s office.

When the county bought the vests five years ago, a grant covered 100 percent of the cost, the commissioners said. The vests expire at the end of this year.

“In a lot of your communities, people weren’t wearing vests,” Commissioner Terry Thatcher said. “Now, it’s a safety issue and mandatory.”

If the county does not replace the vests, it would be liable if something happened to a deputy wearing an outdated vest, Commissioner Charles Schwochow said.

The sheriff’s office has chosen to buy level two vests manufactured by Second Chance, a company in Cleveland, Hirt said. Level three is the most protective vest on the market, but it also is bulky and heavy, he said.

Level twos come with a breastplate that will give added protection to deputies, Hirt said.

“The level two is a more comfortable vest,” Hirt said. “They wear them every day for a whole shift.

“It will stop just about any kind of pistol round.”

The added breastplate also will stop some rifle rounds, he said.

mksmith@gannett.com

419-334-1044

Twitter: @kristinasmithNM