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Ohio BCI Went A Year With Expired Body Armor Before Grievance

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Records show Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents and supervisors raised concerns about expired body armor for more than a year before a union grievance was filed this May.

Emails released by Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine’s office show behind-the-scenes anxiety surrounding more than 50 bulletproof vests that had passed their five-year expiration dates.

All vests are now on order.

One employee said he was “afraid to ask” how old one officer’s vest was. A supervisor said he wouldn’t allow agents to go through “a single door” until their vests were replaced. An agent started submitting monthly photos of his vest “in case of any misfortune!”

Meanwhile, DeWine was scheduled to receive a personal vest. His spokesman says DeWine didn’t ask for or receive the body armor.