Texas Senate Passes Police Aid Laws Inspired by Dallas Ambush

[Elderberry]

Dallas Observer Tuesday, March 14, 2017 By Stephen Young

On Monday the Texas Senate passed a series of bills meant to remedy the problems cops and their families faced during and after Michah Johnson’s July 7 ambush on Dallas police.

The bills, all passed on the first voting day for the Texas Senate in 2017, will potentially provide every patrol officer in Texas with a rifle round-proof vest, give property tax exemptions to the surviving families of officers killed in the line of duty and establish a blue alert system to notify the public of suspects’ descriptions and potential whereabouts in cases where an officer is wounded or killed. July 7 will also become an annual day of remembrance for fallen cops statewide.

In October, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that he wanted vests capable of stopping a shot from a high powered rifle for each of the 40,000 law enforcement officers who are regularly on patrol in the state. Announcing that getting the vests would be priority in the coming legislative session, Patrick guessed that the vests would cost about $20 million.

“One of the things that was clear [after the Dallas ambush] was that we were not giving our law enforcement officers the protection they needed. Everyone was wearing a vest that day and those who were shot in the vest didn’t survive,” Patrick said.

[Excerpted] http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-legislature-steps-up-for-dallas-cops-after-ambush-9270669

[Smokin Joe]

That comes to $500/vest, which is really cheap compared to the loss of an officer. (Figure training, benefits, etc.).
Only downside is it will make 'em go for the head shot.... :nometalk:

[geronl]

do such vests exist and will cops wear them routinely if they are very uncomfortable?

does a rural cop in a low-crime area need one?

[Smokin Joe]

do such vests exist and will cops wear them routinely if they are very uncomfortable?

does a rural cop in a low-crime area need one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRTwqV0ybwc

http://www.ammoland.com/2014/12/true-stories-of-survival-how-body-armor-saves-lives/#axzz4bPtqK75s

They are heavy and hot, but they work. Needless to say, there are rounds they won't stop, but some plates are rated for 5.56 and 7.62X39 (AR and AK ammo).
Rural cops are entirely likely to have to face someone with a scoped rifle rather than someone with just a pistol.

[Sanguine]

do such vests exist and will cops wear them routinely if they are very uncomfortable?

does a rural cop in a low-crime area need one?

Our troops wear them in the middle east, and cops get shot even in low crime areas.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

That comes to $500/vest, which is really cheap compared to the loss of an officer. (Figure training, benefits, etc.).
Only downside is it will make 'em go for the head shot.... :nometalk:

The head is a lot tougher shot to land successfully, so that is an upside.


The statistics differences are striking(not intended as a pun).
 Head vs. body shots from 3 to 21 ft by group.
Distance 3 9 15 21
Rounds fired 3 3 3 3
Head target Rounds hit % Rounds hit % Rounds hit % Rounds hit %
Expert 0.64 (l.21) 21.29 0.18 (0.60) 6.02 0.17 (0.51) 5.14 0.11 (0.31) 3.61
Intermediate 1.70 (1.42) 56.81 0.82 (1.05) 27.23 0.35 (0.66) 11.74 0.18 (0.46) 6.10
Novice 1.72 (1.35) 57.35 0.71 (1.02) 23.66 0.29 (0.54) 9.68 0.17 (0.48) 5.73
Body target Rounds hit % Rounds hit % Rounds hit % Rounds hit %
Expert 2.33 (1.22) 77.91 2.52 (0.87) 83.94 2.05 (0.97) 68.27 1.55 (1.00) 51.81
Intermediate 1.18 (1.45) 39.44 1.65 (1.29) 54.93 1.75 (1.17) 58.22 1.72 (0.97) 57.28
Novice 1.09 (1.36) 36.20 1.61 (1.24) 53.76 1.45 (1.04) 48.39 1.10 (0.89) 36.56


http://www.forcescience.org/articles/naiveshooter.pdf

[thackney]

Table 2. Head vs. body shots from 3 to 21 ft by group
http://www.forcescience.org/articles/naiveshooter.pdf

Does this table show for head shots, both Novice and Intermediate are more accurate than the Expert?

[Smokin Joe]

The head is a lot tougher shot to land successfully, so that is an upside.


The statistics differences are striking(not intended as a pun).
 Head vs. body shots from 3 to 21 ft by group.
Distance        3 9 15 21
Rounds fired  3 3 3 3
Head target Rounds hit %               Rounds hit %          Rounds hit %             Rounds hit %
Expert          0.64   (l.21) 21.29   0.18 (0.60) 6.02    0.17 (0.51) 5.14    0.11 (0.31) 3.61
Intermediate 1.70 (1.42) 56.81   0.82 (1.05) 27.23  0.35 (0.66) 11.74  0.18 (0.46) 6.10
Novice          1.72 (1.35) 57.35   0.71 (1.02) 23.66  0.29 (0.54) 9.68    0.17 (0.48) 5.73
Body target Rounds hit %              Rounds hit %           Rounds hit %          Rounds hit %
Expert          2.33 (1.22) 77.91     2.52 (0.87) 83.94   2.05 (0.97) 68.27  1.55 (1.00) 51.81
Intermediate 1.18 (1.45) 39.44    1.65 (1.29) 54.93    1.75 (1.17) 58.22  1.72 (0.97) 57.28
Novice          1.09 (1.36) 36.20    1.61 (1.24) 53.76   1.45 (1.04) 48.39    1.10 (0.89) 36.56


http://www.forcescience.org/articles/naiveshooter.pdf

Yep. If you read the article, though (at the link), there is a reason. LEOs are trained to not take the head shot, as a matter of course. Reasons include possibility of collateral injury, bad press (He done shot my boy in the HEAD!), and training to shoot center of mass.

There are other fundamental reasons linked to training technique mentioned in the article.

These, however, are pistol shots. In rural settings the rifle might be the thing to be prepared to deal with. The fellow who was shooting at police in Dallas was using a rifle, and that tends to be more powerful, more accurate over distance, and more likely to have optical sights mounted, enhancing both sight picture, and (if correctly zeroed and used) accuracy.