Miami-Dade police acquire new high-tech body armor from Israel
MIAMI - Miami-Dade police and several city police departments will be the first in the country to be equipped with enhanced, high-tech body armor.
"We learned about this innovative gear while in Israel meeting on public safety issues," said former Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman, who went on the trip with Miami-Dade police department assistant director Rosanna Cordero-Stutz. "We came back with advanced cyber security technology and the protective enhancement gear."
Heyman took it upon herself to secure this high-tech armor from Israel. She was able to come home with 102 sets, each containing head-to-toe body armor. Eighty of the units will go to Miami-Dade police and 20 will be distributed to police departments in North Miami, Miami, Coral Gables, and the county's corrections department.
Heyman said the focus of her career is what compelled her to outfit our men and women behind the badge.
"If you ask anybody what's the most important thing for them, it's their public safety when it comes to dealing with government. This is just one more way to do it," she said. "I don't think anything is more important for us public servants than to take action when it's available or pursue what could be available and bring it home to our streets. I'm glad we're the first."
Heyman was able to negotiate a deal paying roughly $67,000 for 102 different units. The money that came out of the county budget.
Christopher Corothers, deputy director of the Miami-Dade police department, said they were able to request customization
"So that was an actual customized request for the purpose of this gear. In addition to the innovative technical abilities with the force dispersion, there was the fact that our extra safety and protection from ballistics was included with this design. That is really the key takeaway for an officer's safety."
Ramon Hernandez, with the Miami-Dade police department's Rapid Response Force, was impressed by the armor's weight and mobility.
"This is a little more lightweight than when we are wearing our body armor. It's lightweight. It's flexible," he said.
It's new technology that offers South Florida officers a little more confidence out in the field