In the aftermath of a tragic shooting that left one officer dead, two policemen recovering from injuries, and a suspect deceased, the head of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is calling on lawmakers to make bulletproof vests mandatory for law enforcement.
On Thursday, Summit patrolman Troy Floyd was killed in the line of duty during a routine safety checkpoint near West Railroad Avenue. At the scene, a suspect identified as Usher Leonard, 25, is reported to have rolled up and opened fire on police, killing Floyd and injuring McComb officers Joey Roberts and Tyler Harvey. Roberts, who was struck in the leg by the gunfire, returned fire and killed Leonard.
During a recent episode of The Gallo Show, Commissioner Sean Tindell opened up about the danger law enforcement faces every day, pointing to the fact that the officers in Summit were merely checking to see if people were operating their vehicles legally on the state’s roadways.
“It’s just another example of how dangerous the job is for these law enforcement officers across our state,” Tindell said. “When you look at the situation in Summit, it was a safety checkpoint in the middle of the day. So, you’re really not anticipating there to be much in the way of that type of danger at midday on a Thursday checking to make sure folks have their driver’s license and insurance. It turns out that this guy had been a convicted felon, had warrants out for his arrest, and didn’t want to go back to jail.”
While it’s borderline impossible to prevent shootings like these from occurring, one resolution Tindell believes would decrease the number of law enforcement fatalities is to require police departments statewide to provide bulletproof vests for officers. In the most recent incident, Floyd was not wearing a bulletproof vest.
To get this accomplished, the state official is calling on the legislature to draft and enact legislation next session that would make it mandatory for Mississippi’s police departments to have bulletproof vests available for its officers. He further added that the Department of Public Safety has programs that would help local departments with budgetary concerns cover the cost of having vests readily available.
“It just needs to be mandatory. It needs to be as mandatory as having a radio or firearm,” Tindell said. “It just needs to be part of the equipment that’s mandatory. That has to be issued. If you’re going to have a police department, it’s just the cost of doing business. It’s worth it to help protect the lives of these officers that every one of them gets a vest when they’re out patrolling.”
