CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Charleston City Council approved eight proposed bids at its meeting Monday, including for new body armor for the Charleston Police Department.
The council agreed to pay less than $59,298 to Bob Barker Company for ballistic plates and rifle armor, as well as around $54,590 to Galls for carrier vests, equipment pouches and medical trauma equipment.
Charleston Police Sgt. Chris Johnson said the new equipment is needed to better protect officers in situations involving gunfire, adding the current plates put them at risk.
“The plates that were designed to stop a certain round were being penetrated by one of the most popular rounds on the market,” Johnson said. “A 5.56 round, which is fired out of an AR-15.”
According to Johnson, the department reached out to multiple companies about creating a better plate and sleeve. While testing the new equipment, officers kept in touch with Bob Barker Company on how to improve equipment.
“Through this process, we learned there were some ballistic materials that were being penetrated by rounds that they were supposed to be stopping,” Johnson said.
Charleston City Manager David Molgaard said he was impressed with the work of the police department.
“They actually went to the manufacturer to have a special prototype sleeve made to stop the spalling of the bullets once it hit,” he said. “This was a product that didn’t even exist before our officers took the initiative to test and to try to find a solution to this issue.”
Other bids that were approved include:
— $39,770 to SICO America for meeting room risers at the Charleston Civic Center;
— $34,069 to SICO America for the purchase of a portable dance floor to be used at the Civic Center;
— a bid to purchase various types of stone from Martin Marietta for public work projects;
— purchasing asphalt for $65 a ton and paving material at $61 a ton from American Asphalt of West Virginia;
— buying Portland cement concrete from Hanson Ready Mix for public work projects; and
— purchasing road salt at $58.99 per ton from Compass Minerals America.