MovieChat Forums > In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988) Discussion > Why So Slow to Adopt...? (SPOILERS)

Why So Slow to Adopt...? (SPOILERS)

posted 12 years ago by browncis
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CAUTION: Spoilers below...(mouse over to reveal)

CAUTION: Spoilers below...(mouse over to reveal)

CAUTION: Spoilers below...(mouse over to reveal)

Kevlar vests came on the market with Second Chance in 1976, and this incident occurred in 1986, a ten year span. According to Wikipedia, only two agents were wearing vests. This is depicted in the movie, although one agent wearing a vest is shot with a .223 from the Ruger Mini-14.

Some investigative units have their investigators in plain clothes, but in this case there was a high likelihood of a shootout. One wonders why agencies, not just the F.B.I., were so slow to adopt protective vests. According to Wikipedia, by the late 1980s, only 50% of officers were wearing these vests. Hopefully these vests are now universal, used as often as putting a weapon in one's holster.

BTW, the news media often calls these "bulletproof vests", however they are far from that. Nothing is "bulletproof" given the wrong set of circumstances. The news media should either call them "ballistic vests" or "protective vests", but not "bulletproof vests".

CORRECTION: Agent Gordon McNeil stated that ALL the agents were issued vests, yet only two of the eight were wearing them. From experience, I'm aware of how hot the vests are, and a .223 round, however, will not be stopped by most vests, at least not the type that were common in the mid 1980s.

[–] HugsFromLV426 11 years ago

If this story didn't have such a tragic ending it would be considered a comedy of errors. Pretty much everything that could go wrong did.

If I recall the vests they had were bulky over-the-clothes types that are not worn all the time. And like you said, they are ineffective in stopping a 223 round anyway.

Added to that was one of the agents losing his glasses and being unable to see well, one losing his gun from the collision during the stop, bullets that did not expand well and therefore did not cause incapacitating wounds in the robbers, and just bad luck that none of their bullets hit anything vital enough to stop the guy.