BODY ARMOR BECOMES POPULAR

YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown resident George Washington was washing his car in
his Atkinson Avenue driveway on Jan. 29 when a man pulled up to the curb in
front of the house and began shooting at him.

Washington ran up the walkway toward his front door, but the gunman exited
his vehicle and chased after him, firing several shots at close range.

Washington was shot once in the upper back, but was released from St.
Elizabeth Health Center shortly after it was determined the bullet failed
to penetrate the bulletproof jacket he was wearing.

While detectives continue their investigation of the shooting, police Capt.
David Williams said the incident is further evidence that more and more
body armor is being used on the streets.

Youngstown officers have seen a growing trend of bulletproof clothing being
worn in Youngstown since the city's homicide count peaked at 60 shooting
deaths about five years ago, Williams said.

Officers suspect that most of those wearing the expensive bulletproof vests
are involved in drug dealing or similar illegal activities where
territorial disputes and gang rivalries pose significant hazards.

''It is legal to buy them, unfortunately,'' said detective Jeff Orr of the
Trumbull County Drug Task Force.

Orr said the appearance of body armor has not been as visible in Trumbull
County, recalling only a single incident in Niles several years ago when a
man was found wearing a vest during an undercover drug purchase conducted
by the Task Force.

The topic alone, however, disturbs officers, Orr said.

''Officers wear them at times, but we don't like to talk about it. People
will start aiming at our heads,'' he said.

While Ohio, like most states, permits its citizens the unrestricted
purchase of body armor, several legislatures and the U.S. Congress continue
to introduce bills seeking to restrict or ban its availability to the
general public.

The movement to restrict or ban body armor sales began in earnest after a
San Francisco policeman was killed in 1994 by a gunman wearing two layers
of Kevlar protection. The International Association of Police Chiefs and
many other law enforcement associations have supported legislative efforts
to restrict sales.

California was the first state to pass legislation banning body armor sales
to convicted felons of violent crimes. U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif.,
introduced similar federal legislation, while other Congress members
introduced two bills in 1999 seeking to ban sales to violent felons and
prohibiting all mail-order or on-line purchases. Those bills each failed to
materialize.

The mail-order bill would effectively curtail general public sales since
most local distributors voluntarily limit their business to police and
licensed security personnel, say critics.

Locally, the owners of area Army-Navy stores and police supply outlets were
nearly unanimous in stating their opposition to selling bulletproof vests
and similar body armor to the public.

Dennis Frenchko, owner of Outdoor Army Store Inc. in Boardman, said he
sells such items only to law enforcement officers and quickly chases off
others who inquire.

''I show 'em the door,'' Frenchko said.

But Mickey's Army Navy Store in Warren has periodically sold government
surplus flak jackets and will have them in stock this week again for the
first time in more than a year, according to employee David Keller.

The downtown Warren store also has catalogs featuring bulletproof vests and
other protective gear that can be ordered upon request, Keller said.

Traveling gun shows are one of the other local outlets where body armor
sales is available to the public, though they generally feature
military-issue flak jackets, intended as protection against shrapnel-
related injuries rather than higher-velocity gunfire, said Williams.

Body armor technology includes the high-tech development of Kevlar weaves
that stop and distribute the impact of bullets coming from most handguns,
to ceramic and metal plates used to deflect higher powered rifle ammunition.

Because of its restriction on movement, the plate armor is used by police
mostly in tactical situations, while soft body armor can be worn
comfortably almost anytime, according to manufacturer Bullet Proof ME of
Austin, Texas.

The company, like the industry in general, opposes restrictions on sales,
citing a wide range of civilian needs for such protection. These needs
include residents living in high crime areas or those who have suffered
home burglaries, security officers, taxi drivers and convenience store
clerks (among the most hazardous occupations nationwide), employees who
make large cash bank deposits at night, victims of stalking and other crime
victims or witnesses, bodyguards, private investigators, ATM repairmen,
judges and travelers to ''hot spot'' abroad, among others.