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County expected to approve bulletproof vests to safeguard deputies

Victoria County commissioners are expected to approve the purchase of 40 bulletproof vests for the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office at Monday morning’s meeting.To get more news about bulletproof zone, you can visit bulletproofboxs.com official website.

County Judge Ben Zeller said money for the vests would come via a grant from the U.S. Justice Department, which is splitting the cost with the county. The total cost for the vests is about $33,000 and the county will pick up about $16,410, Zeller said.

We want to have our law enforcement folks outfitted in this type of protective gear,” Zeller said on Friday.

According to sheriff’s office Chief Deputy Will Franklin, the county typically replaces 40 vests a year through ongoing grants. Each costs about $820. Franklin said the Kevlar vests typically are good for five years of service.

Kevlar is a lightweight fiber invented in the 1970s by DuPont Co. that is five times stronger than steel, according to Safeguard Clothing, which markets body armor to law enforcement.This is an ongoing purchase of pistol-rated soft body armor,” Franklin said. “As far as technology can afford us some protection for that perceived peace, we try to stay about a year ahead of need.”

Franklin said that with about 130 deputies in the department, vests can be rotated out of service as their protection rating wanes.

Zeller said in 2020, a state grant allowed the county to get 42 sets of rifle-resistant vests, which were given to the sheriff’s SWAT team, school resource officers, warrant officers and patrol officers. That grant, for $28,000, was fully paid by a grant from the governor’s office, Zeller said.