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The Department of Homeland Security notified officials in Akron, Ohio, that they purchased counterfeit body armor that was imported from China for their SWAT team.
Homeland Security has been investigating counterfeit body armor that has been sold to law enforcement agencies across the country.
“We became part of a bigger investigation,” Akron Police Captain Agostino Micozzi told the Akron City Council, according to WJW. We were notified by the Department of Homeland Security that the plates that we had were some of those that were found to be counterfeit, and so as a result of that, we need to replace them.”
The fake plates do not meet the standards set by the National Institute of Justice and could put the lives of law enforcement officers in danger. The body armor is designed to stop armor-piercing rounds.
Micozzi said that the body armor is expensive, costing $1,300 for a set of two. The City Council unanimously approved his request for $60,000 to purchase 40 sets of plates immediately.