It's not the Chief that is the problem, it's the Union.
Here's what you do. Contact some departments that issue vests and find out their policies regarding department issued vests. If most towns that issue vest require that they be worn with threat of penalty if they are not, then you know it's your union. If more towns say, issue but have no policy about wearing...then it's your Chief that's the problem.
Now if you don't want to look all this stuff up I'll give you the short version:
If you take federal monies (and sometimes state monies) to purchase vests...the DOJ or the State normally includes a performance rider that says the departments must also have a policy the requires vest use. That's why some departments will say, take our vest...wear it all the time - buy your own vest do what you want. So again...this is such a common thing, it's sort of odd that your Union doesn't get it.
See the link for towns and contacts for the Federal BPV partnership program.
BPV Partnership Awards for MA
Here's the actual wording from the requirement:
(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under this
part, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance may give
preferential consideration, if feasible, to an application from a
jurisdiction that--
``(1) has the greatest need for armor vests based on the
percentage of law enforcement officers in the department who do
not have access to a vest;
``(2) has, or will institute, a mandatory wear policy that
requires on-duty law enforcement officers to wear armor vests
whenever feasible;
In human speak this means...wear policy or no vests the next time around...your Union is playing power games with your safety as the pawn. Now what may be happening is that your Union is reading the amendments to the BPV Act and thinking this requirement isn't there anymore, if that's true they are applying ammendments to the wrong section...and just can't read and in the end you suffer.
If it's the membership that's playing these games, give them the information and if they can't figure it out...buy and wear your vest ALL the time...and lead by example. In the end you'll be safer and maybe your example will save some lives.
If you need any help PM me. I may still have some policies laying around.
Some statistics to hand out:
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the number of law enforcement officers who are killed in
the line of duty would significantly decrease if every law
enforcement officer in the United States had the protection of
an armor vest;
(2) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, 709 law
enforcement officers in the United States were feloniously
killed in the line of duty;
(3) the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that the
risk of fatality to law enforcement officers while not wearing
an armor vest is 14 times higher than for officers wearing an
armor vest;
(4) the Department of Justice estimates that approximately
150,000 State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers,
nearly 25 percent, are not issued body armor;
(5) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, bullet-
resistant materials helped save the lives of more than 2,000 law
enforcement officers in the United States; and
(6) the Executive Committee for Indian Country Law
Enforcement Improvements reports that violent crime in Indian
country has risen sharply, despite a decrease in the national
crime rate, and has concluded that there is a ``public safety
crisis in Indian country''.