Stab resistant vests now in El Paso County jail
El Paso County deputies who work at the jail now have another layer of protection.
1,695 inmates are currently locked up in El Paso County, they’re under the watch of just 34 deputies.
“Deputies are struck, kicked, bitten, there are even attempts to stab them. We know the inmates arm themselves,” said Robert King, the Detention Security Division commander.
King says improvised weapons, or shanks, are found on inmates every week.
That’s why the department is now using ballistic and stab resistant vests.
“The request came from the line level. Staff members said, we want a vest,” King said.
“There was an instance where I was almost bit, but the vest took the brunt of that,” said Deputy Sheriff Syreeta Barrow.
