Bradenton, Fla., police officers will now be required to wear bulletproof vests in light of the shooting of an officer in St. Petersburg, reports MyFoxTampaBay.com. Officer David Crawford was not wearing a vest when he was shot and killed late Monday. But for most agencies across the state, it’s still up to the officer, and there is no statewide movement underway to change that.
No vest is fully bulletproof, but the vests have saved the lives of more than 3,000 police officers since the late 1980s. “We hope they all wear their vests, but it should be up to their choice and discretion,” explained Michael Krohn of the PBA. He said the vests are “extremely hot and uncomfortable.”