The IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar Survivors’ Club®, an organization dedicated to reducing death and disability among police officers by encouraging the use of personal body armor, will induct London, U.K., Police Constable (PC) Andrew Meikle into its membership during a ceremony at the 115th IACP Annual Conference, which begins Saturday in San Diego.
The issue of officer safety has taken on greater urgency in the United Kingdom in light of recent figures released by the Home Office. According to these figures, more than 500 officers were seriously injured in 2006/07 – a 20 percent increase over 2005/06. The figures go on to show that there were 11,393 assaults on police officers in 2007-2008. These numbers equate to 31 assaults a day or at least one on duty officer assaulted every hour.
“Since 1987 the Survivor’s Club has recorded more than 3,000 instances of law enforcement officers surviving potentially fatal or disabling injuries because they were protected by body armor,” said IACP President Ronald Ruecker, director of public safety, Sherwood, Ore. “This campaign demonstrates that body armor saves lives; however, far too many law enforcement personnel – 40 percent in the United States according to our estimates – do not routinely wear this vital protective equipment. Our mission is to ensure that survival stories like PC Meikle’s inspire others to wear vests and encourage more departments to mandate their use.”
On Dec. 22, 2007, PC Meikle was participating in Operation Argon – a special police initiative intended to minimize the presence of firearms in London. The instructions for the operation acknowledged the dangers officers would be exposed to and mandated the wearing of body armor. In the midst of this operation PC Meikle, riding as the passenger in an unmarked car, began following a silver BMW. The passenger of the BMW exited the car and fired five shots from a self-loading automatic handgun at the unmarked police car. The vehicle was hit five times and PC Meikle was struck by one round. The round struck PC Meikle’s body armor just above waist height. The bullet ricocheted off, bounced around the car and grazed his right finger. While a separate team apprehended the passenger, PC Meikle was able to continue to follow the BMW until the car he was riding in broke down due to a gunshot to the engine block. Due to the body armor he was wearing PC Meikle sustained only minor bruising.
“I had a very lucky experience; if I hadn’t been wearing my body armor, I would have been seriously injured or worse,” Meikle said. “This is actually the second time that body armor saved my life. So I can say with absolute confidence that wearing protective body armor is critical to the safety and well-being of police officers.”
“Officer safety is an issue of international importance, and the IACP and DuPont are focused on minimizing the number of needless police disabilities and fatalities,” added Ronald McBride, law enforcement consultant for the IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar Survivors’ Club®. “Body armor is proven to protect the lives of law enforcement personnel and it is important that departments around the world encourage its use by their officers.”
The IACP and DuPont co-sponsor the IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar Survivors’ Club®. Comprised of officers who have survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries through the use of personal body armor, the organization pays tribute to those with the foresight to "Dress for Survival." The IACP is the world's oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization of police executives, with more than 20,000 members in over 89 different countries. IACP's leadership consists of the operating chief executives of international, federal, state and local agencies of all sizes. The IACP is a leader in police management and executive training and is focused on changing the police culture toward greater safety awareness among the global police community.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™, and Kevlar Survivors’ Club® are registered trademarks or trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
Contacts:
Kelly Carson
804-383-3885
kelly.h.carson@usa.dupont.com
Wendy Balazik
800.843.4227 x264
Balazik@theiacp.org
