CAB DRIVERS IN NYC TO START WEARING BULLETPROOF VESTS! THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW SH!T IS BAD! LOL!

A dozen livery cab drivers will begin wearing bulletproof vests for protection in high-crime areas.
Defense firm Security USA donated 12 of the $400 vests as part of a pilot program for drivers who work after dark in neighborhoods that include the South Bronx; Jamaica, Queens, and East New York, Brooklyn.

"The program is incredible," said Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. "It's actually one more safety net, one more level of safety."

Mateo will select the 12 drivers. The vests are the same as those issued to NYPD officers - except they lack a front metal shock plate that would make driving uncomfortable.

New York City livery drivers are targeted for about 300 robberies and assaults every month, Mateo said. This month, driver Trevor Bell was shot several times after picking up a fare in Queens. Police are searching for the alleged gunman, Shawn Peace, 22.

The pilot program will be launched in honor of slain cabbie Cesar Santos, who was shot in the torso in June.

"If he would have had a bulletproof vest, he would have lived," Mateo said.

Mateo's group is also asking retired NYPD cops to donate old vests.

Clark Pena, spokesman for Security USA, said he hopes other businesses will follow his company's lead.

"What better way, during the holidays, to give back than by saving lives?" Pena asked.


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