Akron was sold counterfeit body armor that could have left its SWAT team dangerously underprotected in threatening situations, city officials were told this week.
And the city is moving quickly to fix the issue.
Appearing Monday before Akron City Council's Public Safety Committee, Akron police Capt. Agostino Micozzi said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alerted the department after an investigation into a supplier found some of the armor purchased for the SWAT team is fake.
Council voted unanimously to allocate $60,000 to replace the bogus equipment during its regular Monday evening meeting.
This legislation covers 40 sets of plates, Micozzi said. Each set costs about $1,300 and includes four hard ceramic plates — one on the chest, one on the back and one each for the left and right side. They're designed, Micozzi said, to protect from rifle rounds and "more dangerous ordnance." The plates fit inside a vest called a plate carrier.
"The normal body armor that we have day-to-day is all fine," Micozzi said. "This is just for those moments when they're in the highest risk situations where they need the most protection."
Micozzi said that the department typically replaces this equipment on a rotating basis, but in this case, it all must be replaced.
"We are cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security and their investigation," said Micozzi. "Somewhere down the line there may be an opportunity for some restitution on this, so we will be pursuing that and we will be following it very closely. But in the meantime, in order to keep our high-risk operations operators safe, we need to replace these plates."
The Beacon Journal has reached out to the police with additional questions, but the department did not immediately respond.
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Federal authorities say supplier sold Akron police counterfeit SWAT team equipment
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