Murdered Security Guard’s Union Asked For Bulletproof Vests, Never Got Them

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Stephen Johns, the 39-year old man who was murdered yesterday at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, wasn’t just a Wackenhut-employed security officer. He was also a member of the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America–a union.

That union approached Wackenhut about the dangers Holocaust Museum officers face, and asked them to provide their employees with bulletproof vests. You can imagine how that turned out.

[D]uring contract negotiations with Wackenhut two years ago, the union pressed for company-issued protective vests. Although Wackenhut seemed open to the idea, vests have not been issued, Faye said.

“I hammered this in our negotiations two years ago because of how sensitive that museum is,” he said. “Our guards needed more protection.” He said that one of the guards at the museum was “verbally assaulted by one guy walking by, saying anti-Semitic remarks. For that reason, I made that the center of the negotiation.”

Authorities said Johns was not wearing a protective vest.

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