By Gary Lloyd
ARGO — The Argo City Council on Wednesday approved a ballistic vest policy and mandatory wear policy for the city’s police officers.
Police Chief James Downing said the city will likely acquire eight vests that officers will wear over their uniform at all times when on duty. Downing said the plan now is to see how much federal grant money Argo can get to go toward the purchase of the vests.
The Argo Police Department has five full-time officers and four part-time officers.
Argo Mayor Paul Jennings and Downing said in early January that the reason for pursuing the vests is the rash of assaults and killings of police officers across the country in recent months.
“I’m looking for it to get a little bit worse before it gets better,” Downing said.
The life of a vest is about five years and each one costs about $900.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.