BULLETPROOF VEST DRIVE WILL BENEFIT CAPE POLICE

The Cape Girardeau Jaycees, in cooperation with the Cape Girardeau Regional Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 33, is seeking donations to purchase bulletproof vests for officers of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and other FOP members.

Cape Girardeau has the largest police force in the area, and is the only regional department that does not provide vests for its officers.

"Vests are not mandatory in our department," said Officer William Bohnert of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and former vice-president of the Fraternal Order of Police. "Perhaps when everyone has one they will be mandatory, but that remains to be seen."

Many of the vests the officers have now are in disrepair and long outdate the manufacturer's warranty for adequate protection quality.

At an average cost of $450 per vest, Bohnert estimates a need of at least $15,000 to outfit the more than 60 officers on the Cape Girardeau police force, and have funds left over to purchase vests for other officers in the region requesting vests.

"We want to buy a minimum of 30 new vests to replace the worst ones," Bohnert said.

Beginning today, letters will be mailed to many area businesses and churches, requesting community donations toward the vest fund.

The letter states that nationally, Missouri ranks seventh in officers' deaths, with 498 having been killed in the line of duty.

The FOP also cites the recent incident in Perryville where the deputy sheriff was shot in the hand, and an incident in which a highway patrol officer in Kentucky was shot to further emphasize the need for uniform vests.

The Jaycees have long supported the vest fund.

Twice in the past 10 years, the Jaycees have rallied behind local law enforcement officers, soliciting throughout the community for money to buy the officers vests.

Since its beginning, the Jaycees have raised several thousand dollars for the fund, said Teresa Kuss, chairman of the Jaycees' latest vest drive. The most recent drive began last March and has raised $4,000 to date - far short of the $12,000 goal - Kuss said.

"We're doing it the same way now that we did then," Kuss said. "We run ads in the newspaper and solicit donations from people in the community."

Kuss said that the Jaycees do not hold fund-raising events, but rather rely on donations from concerned citizens.

"We want to show support for our officers," Kuss said. "If they need vests, we want to help them to be able to buy them."

The vest-fund is one of several ongoing projects for the Jaycees.

"This has been a long-running Jaycees project," said La Rae Moore, president of the Jaycees. "It started several years back; each time the fund gets low we'd start another drive."

Moore said that the civic responsibility involved with the project is one of the most attractive features of the vest drive.

"We want to show the officers that we appreciate them going out on the streets and taking their lives into their own hands," Moore said. "This is a way we can repay their dedication and help to keep them safe."

Through this rejuvenation of the money drive that started in March, police and the Jaycees hope to get businesses more involved in the support of the bulletproof vest fund.

Once the FOP's goal has been reached and officers have been fit with new vests, the city of Cape Girardeau has agreed to allow Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. to earmark $5,000 of his annual budget to go toward maintenance of the vests.

The FOP was originally started to promote law enforcement, encourage professionalism among its ranks, support social benevolence and to provide educational and learning experiences for its members.

Since the formation of Lodge 33 in April 1991, the FOP has participated in the American Cancer Society's annual Jail and Bail event and Easter Seals. They have worked to erect a law enforcement memorial in the Cape County North Park and most recently have taken over the bulletproof vest drive.

To become a voting member of the FOP, one must be a full-fledged police officer.

"It's not a union," Bohnert stressed. "It's more like a club for police officers. "Our bylaws don't allow us to strike or have a work slow down," Bohnert said.

Bohnert said that the FOP has experienced some difficulty recruiting new members because of a distorted view of the organization by police chiefs and sheriffs.

As funds are available, the vests will be purchased from Point Blank Body Armor.

Each officer must be fitted for a vest to ensure a comfortable fit and maximum protection.

The Cape Girardeau police wear "Level 2" vests that will stop or significantly slow the penetration of a bullet fired from most handguns.

"The general rule is that you need to wear a vest that would stop the ammunition fired from the gun you carry," Bohnert said. "Ours would by no means stop a shot from a rifle."

The vests have a steel plate embedded in them that runs the length of the officer's breastbone.

Officers wear their vests to fit snugly, over a T-shirt, under their uniforms.

"In the summer they are as uncomfortable as hell," Bohnert said. "You get all hot underneath them and they don't breathe at all."

But Bohnert said that vests have come a long way in the last few years.

"They've gotten much lighter and manufacturers are trying to figure out how to make them a little more comfortable," Bohnert said. "But regardless of any of that, they save lives."

People wishing to donate money to the bulletproof vest fund can do so by mailing a check to the Cape Girardeau Regional Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 33, P.O. Box 2011, Cape Girardeau 63702. All donations will go toward the vest fund.

Officers or civilian law enforcement employees wishing to join the FOP should call Charlie Herbst, president, at 334-3297, or at the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 335-6611.