Upon my graduation from the Delaware State Police (DSP) Academy in 1985, my family presented me with a very special gift. My mother, my brothers, and my sisters all had chipped in to buy me a ballistic vest. In return, they made me promise I would always wear that vest when I was working.

At that time, the DSP did not issue ballistic vests to troopers, and there was no policy that mandated vest wear. I kept that promise and wore that vest every workday until a few years later when the DSP began to issue ballistic vests to troopers. Then, I switched to the DSP-issued vest.