SANTA ANA : Campus Guards Get Bulletproof Vests

The school district has purchased bulletproof vests for its security guards after several shooting incidents outside Santa Ana campuses, the most recent involving a high school student who was killed on his way home.

Supt. Rudy M. Castruita said the district provided the vests as a safety precaution for its 33 guards.

“Our guards don’t carry guns,” Castruita said. “They need to feel protected because very often they go outside the perimeters of the school. They asked for vests and they got them.”

Two weeks ago, Santa Ana high school senior Jose G. Lepe, 17, was shot in the head by a gun-toting youth riding a bicycle outside the campus.

In September, a teacher at the downtown campus narrowly escaped injury when a gunman opened fire at a car. The teacher ducked and the bullet lodged in the back of her van. That incident resulted in stepped-up police patrols and the closure of a street during school hours.

Ray Allison, police chief for the district’s school security, said campus security guards have been asking for vests for more than a year.

“Purchasing the vests has caused more concern than the cause,” Allison said. “I’ve had principals calling me and asking, ‘Hey, is there something I don’t know about?’ No, there is nothing they should be worried about.”

The idea of buying bulletproof vests began a year ago after a shooting outside Santa Ana High School, Allison said.

“One of the officers jokingly said, ‘Boy, we’re going to have bulletproof vests if this keeps up.’ ” Allison said. “There have been shootings since and the campus security officers asked about bulletproof vests.”

The district bought 26 2-pound vests at a cost of $199 each. Allison said that 24 of the district’s 33 officers have requested them.

“We purchased the vests for the officers’ state of mind,” Allison said. They feel a little safer utilizing them. I would say a minimal number of them wear them daily.”

The officers have always had the option of buying their own vests, Allison said.

“The person wearing the vest feels more secure and more relaxed instead of worrying,” Allison said.

School officials say that none of the guards have ever been injured by gunfire.