Action News Jax Investigates: Neptune Beach officers wearing expired body armor

Neptune Beach approved on Monday night spending thousands of dollars to replace expired bulletproof vests for officers.

According to a memo from Chief Richard Pike, the vests had been expired for “years.”

Pike said they discovered the problem a few weeks ago.

Now the city is spending more than $2,600 to replace bulletproof vests that according to the police chief “had been expired well over five years.”

“We’ve also made some changes in our policy now that were discovered. That the equipment was inspected on a regular basis however the expiration date on the vest was not,” Pike said.

Pike said it was the manufacturer’s warranty that had expired and he said the vests' ability to keep officers safe hadn’t been impacted.

“We do feel confident that the officers' safety was not in jeopardy at that point,” Pike said.

But we did some digging and found manufacturers even warn potential buyers that after expiration the protection that is offered by the vest may begin to diminish.

“This outer fabric, they begin to fray,” said Action News Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson.

Jefferson, a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office veteran, walked us through the dangers of expired vests, including the vest not fitting right and moving around while being worn.

"When it breaks down like that, you don’t have the protection you think you have. So every five years, an agency has to or should purge its vests," Jefferson said.

Action News Jax reached out to JSO to see how they handle body armor expiration. We were told each person is responsible for maintaining their equipment, however, their supply unit sends courtesy reminders when expiration is near.

Cox Media Group