Maker of Bulletproof Vest May Face Charges

[cal04]

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a maker of bulletproof vests endangered lives, including President Bush's, by concealing potentially deadly flaws in the body armor sold to the government and police agencies. A whistle-blower from the company, Second Chance Body Armor Inc., of Central Lake, Mich., testified this month that the Secret Service tested and bought some of the defective vests for the president and first lady Laura Bush.

The Pentagon also obtained the same armor for elite troops who guard generals, according to transcripts obtained by The Associated Press. Many sales occurred well after Second Chance had been alerted that the Japanese-made Zylon synthetic material in the vests was degrading faster than expected from heat, light and moisture exposure, allowing bullets to potentially penetrate the armor, according to the whistle-blower's testimony and other company documents.

Prosecutors have gathered documents showing that Second Chance was alerted as early as 1998 by the Japanese material maker, Toyobo Co., that Zylon had trouble maintaining its protective properties. By 2001, Second Chance's research chief, Aaron Westrick, was pleading unsuccessfully with his company's president to replace the vests after his own tests showed them degrading, the memos show.

"Lives and our credibility are at stake," Westrick wrote then-Second Chance president Richard Davis in a Dec. 18, 2001, memo. "We will only prevail if we do the right things and not hesitate. This issue should not be hidden for obvious safety issues and because of future litigation." Westrick urged Davis to "immediately notify our customers of the degradation problems," let those with pending orders cancel them and cease all executive bonuses to save money so the company could pay for a replacement initiative, the memo shows.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050926/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bulletproof_vests

[JohnyCanuck]

1. He didn't really expect this to fly, did he?

cease all executive bonuses to save money so the company could pay for a replacement initiative, the memo shows.

[Boomer]

2. What a terrible conflict for Bush

He owes his life to a whistleblower. Perhaps that will move him to make some generous gesture after he demands that Westrick be fired.

[havocmom]

3. Damn, the Goddess of Irony is beating the bush

pretty damned hard about the torso of late :evilgrin:

Not pleased with the implications for the troops, but damn, putting rotting vests on the chimp and Pickles... priceless. One could only hope the decomposing materials give off some sort of gas which proves toxic to neocon central nervous system.... wait, they don't have any, do they.

[DS1]

4. I wouldn't be surprised if Bush was wearing three at once

[Nihil]

5. Damn, another missed opportunity ...

> Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a maker of bulletproof
> vests endangered lives, including President Bush's, by concealing
> potentially deadly flaws in the body armor

... and we only found out about it thanks to a whistle-blower rather
than a practical demonstration ...

:evilgrin:

[obreaslan]

17. ...

*knock* *knock* *knock*...

"Hello?"

"Candy-Gram"

"Oh, ok...hey you're not...."

...*thump*....

[Newsjock]

6. Faulty Body Armor May Have Endangered Bush

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050926/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bulletproof_vests

By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors are investigating whether a maker of bulletproof vests endangered lives, including President Bush's, by concealing potentially deadly flaws in the body armor sold to the government and police agencies.

A whistle-blower from the company, Second Chance Body Armor Inc., of Central Lake, Mich., testified this month that the Secret Service tested and bought some of the defective vests for the president and first lady Laura Bush.

The Pentagon also obtained the same armor for elite troops who guard generals, according to transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.

... Secret Service officials declined to say whether Bush ever wore the vest, saying they don't discuss presidential protective measures.

Westrick was told Bush wore Zylon-protection during the 2001 inauguration and during a 2002 event with police that his boss attended, according to legal professionals familiar with the case.

more

[Arkana]

7. Now he knows how the troops feel.

[atommom]

8. Any comment I make will only get me in trouble.

:patriot:

[natrat]

9. the irony of a whistleblower coming forward over this is sad

given these fucker's position on whistleblowers

[lutefisk]

11. This really is the "death and irony" administration, isn't it...n/t

n/t

[annabanana]

10. hmmph.... not enough, evidently

(Hi Agent Mike :hi: )

[Thor_MN]

12. Who really cares if chickenshit Bush's vest was defective?

What about the vests of soldiers?

[brentspeak]

13. Best way to ensure that bulletproof vests actually work

A law stating that the CEO and board of directors of the companies that manufacture the vests must also be the ones to beta test the vest. Believe me, defective bulletproof vests will be a thing of the past if such a law was passed.

[Dunvegan]

14. Faulty body vests ‘put President’s life in danger’ - UK Times Online

I'd far rather see the headline read:

Faulty Body Vests Put American Troops' Lives in Danger...Preznit and Pickles Also.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13129-1799109,00.html

Faulty body vests ‘put President’s life in danger’
By James Doran, Wall Street Correspondent

SECOND Chance Body Armor is at the centre of a criminal investigation in the US amid claims that the company endangered the lives of President George Bush and his wife, Laura, by selling them bullet-proof vests that it knew to be defective.

Second Chance has been the target of numerous lawsuits and civil actions since it emerged that the Zylon fibres used to make its lightweight bullet-proof vests could break down over time, rendering the garments useless.

Now The Times has learnt that the Department of Justice is close to filing criminal proceedings against the company alleging that it knowingly endangered the lives of thousands of customers from the President of the United states to police officers on the beat and soldiers on the streets of Iraq.

<snip>

The vests were routinely supplied to central command in Iraq and Afghanistan and to almost all police departments across the United States. The Secret Service and the US Department of Defence also used the vests. The company has a UK subsidiary that was in the process of supplying the vests in question to the British Armed Forces and the police.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Reaching for the cynic hat

who wants the bidness? Second Chance has been providing them vests since oh President Carter was in teh WH... and they do degrade and need changing every five years or so

[Dunvegan]

16. Good point re. shelf life, nadinbrzezinski...

...I'm interested.

Do you know the particulars? I guess I'm asking: are you saying we're using old-stock, degraded wares for our troops, police, and (heaven forfend) second-hand expired-date attire for Preznit and Pickles?

(Edited to say: To save a little money, is perhaps Pickles wearing Hillary's left-over, second-hand vest?)