The Albany Police Department received new Load Bearing Vests that will eliminate the duty belt. The main benefit from this is the strain on an officers lower back and hip will be greatly reduced and the weight of everything will be more spread out.

The Albany Police chose four main components to add on to the vest which weights about 30 pounds with the all of the equipment on. Police Chief, Wyatt Heyvaert said it’s a little different having handcuffs on the front of the vest rather than behind him with the old belt. Other components on the vest include a flashlight, taser, and an extra mag while the hand gun is on a leg holster.

The Albany Police didn’t want to overload the look and wanted to make sure they looked approachable to the public rather than having the look of a Swat Team. Overall they are very happy with the new vests and they hope that other departments change to them.