Local police may be counting on protective vests that have failed in national tests to stop bullets.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a study last week that concluded body armor containing the fiber Zylon might degrade and lose its ability to deflect bullets.
Officials with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Everett and Lynnwood police departments said Monday that as a result of the new findings, they will have to replace a number of vests worn by officers.
“Clearly we want our dep-uties to be protected to the extent they can be,” said Tom Greene, a bureau chief with the sheriff’s office.
The National Institute of Justice conducted ballistics tests on 103 used vests containing Zylon. The results showed that 60 vests were penetrated by at least one round during a six-shot test. Only four of the used vests met national safety standards, researchers said.
The national tests also found the vests break down with repeated exposure to moisture and light.
Police officers are being encouraged to continue to wear the vests until they are replaced, the Department of Justice wrote.
The sheriff’s office likely will have to replace vests for at least 69 deputies, Greene said.
The Everett Police Department also uses Zylon-based vests, spokesman Sgt. Boyd Bryant said. He could not say how many would have to be replaced.
The person who tracks the department’s protective vests was not on duty Monday, so the information was not available, Bryant said.
Lynnwood will have to replace about 60 vests, spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said. Prior to last week’s announcement, Lynnwood was in the process of replacing the department’s 86 vests after getting word last year that the Zylon-based vests may not hold up as long as their warranty.
“The most recent findings make this a more urgent matter,” Sessions said. “We want to replace them as soon as possible.”
Sheriff’s officials heard from patrol deputies over the weekend who were concerned by the results of the study.
As a result, the sheriff’s office did its own nonscientific tests Monday afternoon. A deputy shot 24 rounds at two used Zylon-based vests to determine how they were holding up.
“Rather than depend on other people’s data, we wanted to see for ourselves,” Greene said. “We want to set our deputies’ minds at ease.”
The vests stopped the rounds, Lt. Steve Dittoe said.
| Zylon is a synthetic fiber similar to Kevlar that can be used to make high-strength but lightweight material. It’s used in tennis rackets, medical equipment and body armor. |
Greene said he expects that the sheriff’s office will be able to get new Kevlar-based vests within the next 30 and 45 days. He doesn’t expect the sheriff’s office to have to pay for the replacement vests.
Michael Fox, a spokesman for Armor Holdings, one of the largest manufacturers of police vests in the nation, said it was working on a program to help those in law enforcement get new vests.
As a result of the study, the Justice Department adopted new federal guidelines for police body armor and added $10 million to the $23.6 million available to police departments to help replace Zylon-based vests.
The testing was part of a national initiative to evaluate body armor that began in 2003, according to the Justice Department.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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