Second Chance Body Armor Inc

Second Chance Body Armor Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after lawsuits in at least 10 states accused it of selling defective bulletproof vests to police officers. One lawsuit says the company -- the nation's largest manufacturer of soft, concealable body armor for law enforcement -- is to blame for the shooting death of a California police officer. Another suit, brought by the state of Utah, led to a $210,000 settlement.

Second Chance Body Armor Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after lawsuits in at least 10 states accused it of selling defective bulletproof vests to police officers. One lawsuit says the company -- the nation's largest manufacturer of soft, concealable body armor for law enforcement -- is to blame for the shooting death of a California police officer. Another suit, brought by the state of Utah, led to a $210,000 settlement.

Nearly 3,000 Los Angeles police officers and tens of thousands of cops across the country are wearing bulletproof vests that might not be bulletproof. The manufacturer, Second Chance Body Armor Inc., has notified hundreds of departments that it has stopped selling two widely used models of vests after random tests showed that the core material was degrading before their five-year warranties expired. The disclosure by the Central Lake, Mich.

It began with a single gunshot. Last summer, an undercover police officer stepped out of a van in Pennsylvania to make a drug bust and was shot in the abdomen. The bullet penetrated the front panel of his body armor. The officer survived, but the damage -- to him and to an industry that exists specifically to protect law enforcement -- was done.

It began with a single gunshot. Last summer, an undercover police officer stepped out of a van in Pennsylvania to make a drug bust and was shot in the abdomen. The bullet penetrated the front panel of his body armor. The officer survived, but the damage -- to him and to an industry that exists specifically to protect law enforcement -- was done.

State officials on Wednesday sued a manufacturer of bulletproof vests used by police, saying the vests were defective and endangered officers. The vests are woven with a synthetic fiber known as Zylon, which has been shown to weaken earlier than expected. Their durability was called into question in June, when an undercover Pittsburgh officer was hurt when a bullet pierced his vest. Connecticut's lawsuit against Second Chance Body Armor Inc. demands refunds for the vests.

Under a settlement approved Friday by the Los Angeles City Council, a Japanese textile maker whose ballistic material was used in allegedly ineffective body armor sold to the LAPD has agreed to pay the city between $647,000 and $1.3 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit. The payout is part of a $29-million settlement by Tyoba Co. Ltd. with police departments and officers nationwide.

The widow and young son of an Oceanside police officer shot to death after a routine traffic stop filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that he died because his protective vest was defective and allowed three bullets to hit him. The lawsuit, filed in Vista Superior Court, alleges that Michigan-based Second Chance Body Armor Inc. knew that the Japanese-made material used in the vest was defective, but "in a rush for market share and profits" allowed the vest to be shipped to stores.

Nearly 3,000 Los Angeles police officers and tens of thousands of cops across the country are wearing bulletproof vests that might not be bulletproof. The manufacturer, Second Chance Body Armor Inc., has notified hundreds of departments that it has stopped selling two widely used models of vests after random tests showed that the core material was degrading before their five-year warranties expired. The disclosure by the Central Lake, Mich.