Pubdate: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 Source: Tribune Chronicle, The (OH) Copyright: 2002 Tribune Chronicle Contact: http://www.tribune-chronicle.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1436 Author: David Kerester BODY ARMOR BECOMES POPULAR YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown resident George Washington was washing his car in his Atkinson Avenue driveway on Jan. 29 when a man pulled up to the curb in front of the house and began shooting at him. Washington ran up the walkway toward his front door, but the gunman exited his vehicle and chased after him, firing several shots at close range. Washington was shot once in the upper back, but was released from St. Elizabeth Health Center shortly after it was determined the bullet failed to penetrate the bulletproof jacket he was wearing. While detectives continue their investigation of the shooting, police Capt. David Williams said the incident is further evidence that more and more body armor is being used on the streets. Youngstown officers have seen a growing trend of bulletproof clothing being worn in Youngstown since the city's homicide count peaked at 60 shooting deaths about five years ago, Williams said. Officers suspect that most of those wearing the expensive bulletproof vests are involved in drug dealing or similar illegal activities where territorial disputes and gang rivalries pose significant hazards. ''It is legal to buy them, unfortunately,'' said detective Jeff Orr of the Trumbull County Drug Task Force. Orr said the appearance of body armor has not been as visible in Trumbull County, recalling only a single incident in Niles several years ago when a man was found wearing a vest during an undercover drug purchase conducted by the Task Force. The topic alone, however, disturbs officers, Orr said. ''Officers wear them at times, but we don't like to talk about it. People will start aiming at our heads,'' he said. While Ohio, like most states, permits its citizens the unrestricted purchase of body armor, several legislatures and the U.S. Congress continue to introduce bills seeking to restrict or ban its availability to the general public. The movement to restrict or ban body armor sales began in earnest after a San Francisco policeman was killed in 1994 by a gunman wearing two layers of Kevlar protection. The International Association of Police Chiefs and many other law enforcement associations have supported legislative efforts to restrict sales. California was the first state to pass legislation banning body armor sales to convicted felons of violent crimes. U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced similar federal legislation, while other Congress members introduced two bills in 1999 seeking to ban sales to violent felons and prohibiting all mail-order or on-line purchases. Those bills each failed to materialize. The mail-order bill would effectively curtail general public sales since most local distributors voluntarily limit their business to police and licensed security personnel, say critics. Locally, the owners of area Army-Navy stores and police supply outlets were nearly unanimous in stating their opposition to selling bulletproof vests and similar body armor to the public. Dennis Frenchko, owner of Outdoor Army Store Inc. in Boardman, said he sells such items only to law enforcement officers and quickly chases off others who inquire. ''I show 'em the door,'' Frenchko said. But Mickey's Army Navy Store in Warren has periodically sold government surplus flak jackets and will have them in stock this week again for the first time in more than a year, according to employee David Keller. The downtown Warren store also has catalogs featuring bulletproof vests and other protective gear that can be ordered upon request, Keller said. Traveling gun shows are one of the other local outlets where body armor sales is available to the public, though they generally feature military-issue flak jackets, intended as protection against shrapnel- related injuries rather than higher-velocity gunfire, said Williams. Body armor technology includes the high-tech development of Kevlar weaves that stop and distribute the impact of bullets coming from most handguns, to ceramic and metal plates used to deflect higher powered rifle ammunition. Because of its restriction on movement, the plate armor is used by police mostly in tactical situations, while soft body armor can be worn comfortably almost anytime, according to manufacturer Bullet Proof ME of Austin, Texas. The company, like the industry in general, opposes restrictions on sales, citing a wide range of civilian needs for such protection. These needs include residents living in high crime areas or those who have suffered home burglaries, security officers, taxi drivers and convenience store clerks (among the most hazardous occupations nationwide), employees who make large cash bank deposits at night, victims of stalking and other crime victims or witnesses, bodyguards, private investigators, ATM repairmen, judges and travelers to ''hot spot'' abroad, among others. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart