S.D. Police to Make Safety Changes : Proposal to Require Bulletproof Vests Is Still Debated

The San Diego Police Department has adopted one-third of nearly 100 recommendations submitted by an internal task force studying police safety, but the suggestion for mandatory armored vests is still being debated, a police official said Friday.

Task force manager Cmdr. Mike Rice said the proposal to require bulletproof vests has stirred controversy among the department’s 1,400 officers. Despite statistics that show that 80% of police deaths in the United States over the last two years could have been prevented had the officers been wearing vests, Rice said that some officers have objected to making them mandatory.

“Some have pointed out that the vests are not very comfortable, especially when worn in warm weather. Others have questioned whether we should mandate to the officers or not. This group thinks they should have an option on (whether to wear) the vests,” Rice said.

He said the department will continue to discuss the issue. Currently, wearing the vests is optional, but Rice said that, ultimately, Chief William B. Kolender will decide whether all beat officers will be required to wear them.

The task force, composed of 85 officers, was formed in April after a shooting in Encanto that left Officer Thomas E. Riggs, 27, dead. Officer Donovan Jacobs, 28, and Sara Pena-Ruiz, 32, a civilian riding along with Riggs, were also wounded. Riggs became the 10th San Diego officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1977, giving San Diego the highest police mortality rate among departments in 51 large U.S. cities.

Rice said that another department study places San Diego second in the country overall in police injuries. The department has questioned the accuracy of the second study, but both reports show that police deaths and injuries in San Diego “are at an unacceptable level,” Rice said.

The seven committees of the task force have issued recommendations regarding nearly every facet of police training and procedures. Members have studied the department’s crime-fighting philosophy, training selection process, equipment, staffing levels, safety policies and procedures, and critiques of incidents involving shootings.

One recommendation that has been adopted calls for establishing a critique board staffed by experts from the department.

“The board will critique all incidents where an officer’s life was endangered. We will call in witnesses and improve on our training so similar incidents won’t happen over and over again,” Rice said. It will not be a review board but rather an in-house lobby, Rice said.

Rice declined to discuss most of the recommendations, fearing that to disclose them would endanger the officers.

“We want to emphasize to the community that officer safety is our No. 1 priority. We’re here to serve the community, and we can do our job better by ensuring the safety of our officers,” Rice said.