EVANSVILLE — Evansville's code enforcement officials will soon be adding something to their work attire: A bulletproof vest.

The Evansville City Council this week approved the purchase of 22 of the vests for the Evansville Building Commission.

The Evansville City Council voted unanimously this week to approve money for the purchase. The appropriation request, in two separate line items, totaled $56,950. This includes 14 ballistic vests for code enforcement officers, eight ballistics vest for additional building commission staff and portable radios.

The Courier & Press reached out to the building commission and was directed to the mayor's office for comment. Former building commissioner Dave Ballew is no longer with the department and his position has not been filled. Noah Stubbs, spokesman for Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, said the request was made because of safety concerns.

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"Code enforcement employees, they often time inspect and walk into vacant homes. So safety concerns, just not knowing what they're walking into, have been top of mind recently," Stubbs said.

No specific incidents were mentioned, but the Evansville Police Department did respond to an assault call June 9 involving a person contracted by the city to "maintain unsightly yards," according to the EPD media report from June 10.

Officers were sent to the 2500 block of Washington Avenue where the alleged victim was confronted by a person while mowing a yard. The summary in the report states the individual mowing the yard showed the work orders to the other person, at which point they pulled out a Sharpie and made a "downward motion with a closed fist" which knocked the papers out of the workers hand.

No injuries were visible, according to the report. No arrest was made at the time.

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There was also an instance in 2020 when a contractor working for the city's Evansville Land Bank Corp. shot a man while inspecting a house on Fares Avenue.

EPD determined the contractor was acting in self-defense when he fired his handgun, which he had a permit to carry, after the nearby resident attacked him while the contractor was getting tools from his truck.

At-large City Councilman Ron Beane said he spoke with a staff member at the building commission who said the enforcement officers were asking for the equipment, which led to the request coming before council.

"When you go into an unknown situation, safety needs to be an utmost concern," he said.

Beane, also a former building commissioner, said the staff enters vacant homes where they don't know what they'll encounter. Some could have been broken into in the past or the enforcement officers could end up interacting with someone who is under the influence of drugs, Beane said.

"It's better to get (the vests) too soon rather than too late," he said.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville City Council approves code enforcement's bulletproof vests

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