Odessa PD Spends $100K In New Bulletproof Vests

ODESSA, TX –– Last week, the Odessa City Council approved a measure that will provide the police department with 48 new bulletproof vests.

The new gear has a price tag of over one hundred thousand, but donations from the non-profit 'Busitn' for Badges' will help defray some of the cost.

According to Police Chief Michael Gerke, the new vests will include a rifle plat –– providing more protection.

“Vests have a life of about 5 years, so every 5 years a vest has to be replaced. So it’s an ongoing expense and what you don’t want to do is replace all two hundred vests at one time. So it’s a staggered process”, says Gerke.

The new vests will arrive in a few weeks.