Federal Vest Legislation

[UWQLI]

Its a good start, Hope it Flys.....Jose Rivera Correctional Officer Protection Act (Introduced in House)

HR 6462 IH


110th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6462
To require the Bureau of Prisons to provide stab-resistant personal body armor to all correctional officers of the Bureau, and to require such officers to wear such armor while on duty.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 10, 2008
Mr. CARDOZA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary


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A BILL
To require the Bureau of Prisons to provide stab-resistant personal body armor to all correctional officers of the Bureau, and to require such officers to wear such armor while on duty.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Jose Rivera Correctional Officer Protection Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) Federal correctional officers work in a volatile environment where they face the Nation's most serious and violent criminals every day.

(2) Correctional officers are surrounded by inmates with a history of violent behavior and materials which are converted into weapons. Relatively harmless items converted into weapons are used to assault correctional officers.

(3) While several State correctional officers and local city and county law enforcement officials are issued protective `stab-proof' vests on duty, Bureau of Prisons correctional officers are only issued protective vests for use in responding to emergencies and when escorting inmates in the community, not during the routine, everyday performance of their responsibilities. Thus, Bureau of Prisons correctional officers are the only segment of the correctional workforce not afforded this additional safety precaution.

(4) On June 20, 2008, two inmates brutally attacked and killed Correctional Officer Jose Rivera at the Federal Penitentiary in Atwater, California. The two inmates who attacked Officer Rivera had been classified by the Bureau of Prisons as `unable to rehabilitate', and were among the most dangerous in the prison population.

(5) Bureau of Prisons correctional officers should not be forced to put their safety at risk in order to comply with an outdated standard on protective enhancements to uniforms, especially when directly interacting with the prison population.

SEC. 3. STAB-RESISTANT PERSONAL BODY ARMOR REQUIRED.

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Bureau of Prisons shall, subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this Act, provide each correctional officer of the Bureau of Prisons with stab-resistant personal body armor, and shall require each such officer to wear such stab-resistant personal body armor at any time such officer is on duty.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.

[Kebemt]

While I hope this goes through... I wonder If it will Kill the Bill requiring the BOP to give us gun lockers... the money will have to go to buy us vests

[BOPCO87]

#$$% IT, I say give us both. Haven't they cut us enough? Why they are at it I say they appropriate about 100 Million more and fully staff these sh!t holes why there at it.

[Kebemt]

In a perfect World yeah thats great But my point is that Now there is a big push by the union to get us vests, and that takes preassure off the gun locker issue. I work at the ADX So I know that we have more saftey gear than anyone... I can chit out cuffs and 2 diffrent types of batons at my pleasure... SO I will not be so cocky as to say I know how yall feel cause well I dont in the state and now in the feds I have always felt I had the tools I needed to do my job.... So yes I think vests are very important tools for us at work but I would feel safer knowing that when I was on my way home with out a radio and someone watchin my back I had my firearm... Again though I think they are both very improtant laws that should both pass!

[VIMshooter]

I'd much rather have the firearms storage at the institution and be permitted to purchase my own vest. The way this fleshes out is that the vests will come from the 30% gear first. Then down the road, everyone will talk about how to issue vests. In the mean time, let's get this legislation thru on the gun lockers.

[GUNNER]

Originally Posted by Kebemt

While I hope this goes through... I wonder If it will Kill the Bill requiring the BOP to give us gun lockers... the money will have to go to buy us vests

I think it will strengthen the bill for the gun lockers. The reason i say this is because we are looking at safety issues and that is one of them. this may all fall in place at one time.

[KBCraig]

The only places that need gun lockers are the MDC/MCC joints, where staff don't park on the grounds. Anywhere else can just use a local agreement for storing in a locked vehicle, or locked container inside the vehicle.

But yeah, it would be nice to see that rammed through at the same time, especially since it wouldn't cost them a dime except at a few joints.

[Roadcamp]

The two issues will work together. If more people in Washington hear about what is going on we will get more support. You need to remember we all work behind the fence. Out of site out of mind. We all know what we face every day, our families hear and sometimes suffer because of this job. The people we know, the letters we write for support thats what I see working now.

The gun lockers need to be in every Institution and USPs, especially ones next to the camps. We are not allowed to have firearms in our vehicles and free range inmates can and will get into everything.

[Hack]

Originally Posted by Roadcamp

The two issues will work together. If more people in Washington hear about what is going on we will get more support. You need to remember we all work behind the fence. Out of site out of mind. We all know what we face every day, our families hear and sometimes suffer because of this job. The people we know, the letters we write for support thats what I see working now.

The gun lockers need to be in every Institution and USPs, especially ones next to the camps. We are not allowed to have firearms in our vehicles and free range inmates can and will get into everything.

They will, or if they think they can get by with it, further test their boundaries by mixing it up with the community. That's why in a vehicle if you're gun is in it, lock it up, and lock it up in a case inside the vehicle, so they don't have to simply break a window to get to it.

[Spiderman]

The vest’s are a step in the right direction. You have to remember getting the administration to admit there is a problem is the first step. It’ll take two more officers killed before the Lieutenants are allowed to carry pepper spray at all times and at least four to five killed before we all carry it. We’ll never see tasers or military style uniforms because somebody would have to admit total defeat. That somebody doesn’t work in the trenches.

What we are dealing with in the Penn’s is the human animal. Much more clever than anything you see at the zoo. But we are not allowed to admit that. Look at the A& E videos on America and the prison experience.

As a culture we give welfare without a urinalyses, but you and I have to submit to them. The Government, not the people, have decided to reward losers for not conforming. Be a crack head or meth head, “we are sorry, we failed you” It’s accepted. The middle class, you and I, support all these programs while the Aristocracy, (Higher Government,) live off us on per diem and other benefits and we serve at their whim.

What a sad state of affairs.

Exercise your second amendment rights, our children’s future will depend on it!

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the 1. United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the pre-existing individual right to possess and carry weapons (i.e. "keep and bear arms") in case of confrontation.[1] Codification of the right to keep and bear arms into the Bill of Rights was influenced by a fear that the federal government would disarm the people in order to impose rule through a standing army or select militia,[2] since history had shown the way tyrants eliminated resistance to suppression of political opponents was simply to take away the people's arms and make it an offense for people to keep them.[3

I bet I’m on a watch list now! Especially Obama Hussein’s......

I believe in God, Country and my fellow man. Do the right thing and you’ll never have to second guess yourself.