Los Angeles police commend Governor for signing body armor legislation
For Immediate Release
Contact: Eric Rose (805) 624-0572 or
Paul Haney (626) 755-4759
Los Angeles police commend Governor for signing body armor legislation
LOS ANGELES, June 2, 2010 – The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) today commended Governor Schwarzenegger for signing urgency legislation restricting the possession of body armor by violent felons.
The law is a response to a December 2009 decision by the Second District Court of Appeals, which overturned the ban on felons wearing body armor, saying it was unconstitutional because the definition of body armor was too vague. Senate Bill 408, sponsored by California State Senator Alex Padilla and authored by Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, expressly and clearly prohibits violent felons from possessing body armor.
“The legislation put forth by District Attorney Cooley is straightforward and provides a commonsense definition of body armor as ‘a bulletproof vest, meaning any bulletproof material intended to provide ballistic and trauma protection for the wearer,’” said Paul M. Weber, President of the LAPPL.
“The bottom line is that violent felons have no business possessing body armor. The signing of the urgency legislation means that the misguided decision by the Second District Court is immediately corrected and we now have an essential law in place to protect the safety of peace officers while they are performing their jobs,” Weber continued.
SB 408 is considered urgent because of recent attacks on law enforcement by felons wearing body armor. After leading police on a high-speed chase in March of this year in Los Angeles, a parolee with 19 arrests and four convictions was found to be wearing body armor. Earlier, on January 20, a gunman suspected of killing eight people in Virginia was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was apprehended by police.
Background
The law prohibiting possession of body armor by violent felons was passed following two infamous incidents: the 1994 killing of San Francisco Police Officer James Guelff, murdered by a robber wearing body armor; and the notorious North Hollywood shootout in 1997 that saw eleven LAPD officers and six civilians wounded during a prolonged exchange of gunfire with two bank robbery thugs clad head to toe in assembled body armor.
The Second District court decision stemmed from an incident in which LAPD officers stopped parolee Ethan Saleem in 2007 after he served time for his conviction of voluntary manslaughter. Saleem was wearing a 10-pound, military-style armored vest with a label reading “body armor, fragmentation protection,” which was not allowed because of his violent felony conviction.
About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com
