By Gary Lloyd
ARGO — The Argo City Council will likely approve ballistic vests for Argo police officers at its Wednesday, Jan. 21 meeting.
At its meeting Monday, the council discussed a federal government program in which the city would pay for 50 percent of the cost of ballistic vests for officers. The Argo Police Department has five full-time officers and four part-time officers, Police Chief James Downing said.
VIDEO: Watch a video about the potential for ballistic vests for the Argo Police Department.
Mayor Paul Jennings told city council members to review a mandatory wear policy for the vests, saying he’d like to vote on the matter Jan. 21. Jennings said he wants to make sure that the policy’s wording is correct, making it mandatory that any officer on duty wear a ballistic vest.
“I’ve never wore one myself, but I will now,” said Downing, whose law enforcement career covers more than 40 years.
Jennings and Downing said 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 Jan. 21 meeting is at 9 a.m. at Argo City Hall.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.