TACOMA — State regulators have fined the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for equipping jail deputies with outdated protective vests.
The News Tribune reported (http://is.gd/rScFNM ) the state Department of Labor and Industries issued a “serious” violation and levied a $3,600 fine Monday.
Regulators said corrections deputies have been using 46 ballistic body armor vests that exceeded the manufacturer’s five-year warranty in May. The vests have an expiration date because materials in them break down over time.
The citation says the outdated vests could result in disability or death from a gunshot wound.
Sheriff Paul Pastor said Wednesday his department is working to make sure jail deputies don’t have outdated vests. The outdated vests represent less than 20 percent of vests assigned to corrections deputies and sergeants.
The department has until Dec. 19 to appeal the citation.
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