Holy Toledo.

The Police Chief of the Toledo Police Department in Ohio, George Kral, has banned his officers from wearing outer vests. Why? Because it “looks too much like a military soldier.”

“We’re not soldiers, we’re peace officers,” Chief Kral told his local ABC news station, WTVG.

“Picture this,” the Chief said. “Two six-foot-three big strapping policemen are in a house and there’s a five-year-old child in the scene. And they see these guys with all of this, and the Tasers, on the vest. And it’s intimidating.”

I’ve got some counterpoints, Chief.

Picture this. That’s not the officers’ fault.

If they’re dealing with a 5-year-old on a scene, I’m gonna go ahead and say they’ve likely seen a lot worse from their parents.

Even if that isn’t the case, if it’s a burglary or something that the parents didn’t have anything to do with, the kid will get over it. Within minutes he’ll probably be pointing to every tool and asking what it does and if he can hold it.

Toledo Police bans tactical vests for officers https://t.co/46zA87iDA1 – @13abc — Shawn McKenzie 🇺🇸 (@SMcK17) February 8, 2020

Picture this. Two five-foot-three, small, not strapping policewomen are in a house and there’s a big ass bad guy sizing them up.

Maybe he sees the tactical vests and it’s that very same argument of them looking “intimidating” that causes the guy to decide not to fight with them.

Sorry 5-year-old. I’d rather you be intimidated for a few minutes (if at all) and have a dude not try to kill me than look “nicer” to you.

Picture this. A small-framed officer tries to fit her firearm, extra magazines, taser, extra cartridges, handcuffs, handcuff key, car key, flashlight, backup flashlight, baton, asp, radio, pepper spray, knife, tourniquet, and anything else she desires on her tiny waist.

It doesn’t all fit, so she has to choose to not carry some valuable tools.

This was me (2 injuries and 2 kids ago) and it was hard. I know, skinny people problems. I’d love to have that problem now.

But seriously. Littler people are the people that bad guys will choose to fight more often because they think they can beat them.

That means those officers need more tools at their disposal in order to use the least amount of force possible. I could barely fit keepers on my belt and I was always so incredibly uncomfortable, no wonder I can barely walk now without crying of back pain.

That outer carry vest is incredibly helpful to have more room for all the stuff cops need.

“In my opinion, that looks too much like a military soldier," said Toledo Police Chief George Kral.” Imagine being so dense, and stuck in the past, that you classify this as looking too militaristic. pic.twitter.com/gnd7eoXWqN — Royal City Cop (@RoyalCityCop) February 7, 2020

Picture this. At the end of his career, an officer has carried around 30 pounds of gear all day, every workday, for 20-plus years.

All sitting right on his lower back and hips. After a lifetime of service, he gets to spend the rest of his life with back, hip, and sciatic pain because of the belt, when it could have been alleviated so simply.

Did you know that Law Enforcement Today has a private new home for those who support emergency responders and veterans? It’s called LET Unity, and it’s where we share the untold stories of those patriotic Americans. Every penny gets reinvested into giving these heroes a voice. Check it out today.

The Chief did at least address the pain his officers would be enduring. He said:

“I know a big concern for the officers is with the Molle vest, it takes all of the pressure off of their back and their hips… the new solution comes with a built in suspender system that clips onto their belt keepers that does the exact same thing.”

Disagree. Maybe it helps some, but two tiny suspenders versus a full chested vest? Doesn’t compare.

The Chief also cares not about what his officers think, feel, or say about it. He said he knew the new policy would be “unpopular” with his people, but also said he didn’t take that into account at all when making his decision.

Well isn’t that special. Feelin’ the love all the way across the country, Chief!

As 36 new officers are welcomed to @ToledoPolice, Chief George Kral encourages them to get involved in the community they serve. @mikesigovblade https://t.co/UWf1ziqgPO — The Blade (@toledonews) February 8, 2020

Chief Kral also said:

“What it comes down to is there are some young officers on this department who have never been said ‘no’ to before and they have to understand that I’m the chief of police and I make those decisions.

And I make those decisions based on the citizens that we serve and themselves. So this is gonna be something that they’re just going to have to live with.”

Power trip, much? This is how I read his words:

“Oh, you are in pain from your toolbelt? You have several other completely valid reasons for wearing an outer carry vest? Well too bad! I’m in charge! Me! Do what I say!”

My favorite part, though, is that his priorities are clearly just the community, which is something he brags about to news outlets often, and not his officers.

He said he makes his decisions based on the citizens, strategically placed first in that sentence. Oh yeah, and the officers. He kinda had to throw that in for good measure, didn’t he?

Like I said, Holy Toledo!

—

Want to make sure you never miss a story from Law Enforcement Today? With so much “stuff” happening in the world on social media, it’s easy for things to get lost.

Make sure you click “following” and then click “see first” so you don’t miss a thing! (See image below.) Thanks for being a part of the LET family!