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By: Journal Record Staff September 9, 2022 0

Police Officer Don Campbell invented and received a patent for his Lit Safety Vest. It is now used by law enforcement in nine states.

Police officers and other emergency responders in Oklahoma and eight other states may soon be safer while working at accident scenes at night.

An invention by a police officer in Ohio may be a lifesaver. It’s a vest designed to be superior to standard ones worn by officers, sheriff’s deputies and others in the past across the country.

The officer, Don Campbell, said the invention was motivated by a tragedy, the death of a fellow officer, Dale Woods, who was accidentally struck down by a motorist while directing traffic after a nighttime wreck.

Soon after, Campbell said he was working at another accident scene at night when a woman stopped and told him that his reflective vest wasn’t really giving him that much protection.

“I don’t know if you are aware,” the woman told the officer, “but I drove past you and couldn’t see you at all. Your vest was eclipsed by the light of your squad car.”

According to a news release, that was sort of an “epiphany” for Campbell, who was aware of sobering statistics that at least 60 U.S. law enforcement officers are killed each year while working near roadways.

A tinkerer at heart, Campbell, 56, hunkered down in his basement and worked with a variety of materials and batteries – and the purest bright white LED strips on the market. What he came up with was an extremely bright vest with a rechargeable battery and switch that can control the amount of light projected. The vest can easily set an officer apart from any nearby vehicles or competing lights.

According to the release, police and sheriff’s departments in Oklahoma, California, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin have begun adopting the vest.

In Ohio, Milford Police Chief Jamey Mills compared his department’s investment in the vests with investments made in past in body armor.

“Just about all of us, including myself, have been nearly clipped by a vehicle while on duty at night,” Mills said. “If wearing this vest prevents just one accident, it’s worth it.”

For more information on the Lit Safety Vest, visit litsafetyproducts.com.

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