ELLSWORTH – Hancock County sheriff’s deputies will be getting new bulletproof vests to replace the faulty vests they now use.

County commissioners this week approved a transfer of funds in the sheriff’s budget for the purchase of the new vests.

The department will purchase 10 vests at a reduced price of $350 with trade-ins of the old vests and two new vests at the full price of $662.50.

Commissioners approved taking $5,000 from the vehicle maintenance account to cover the cost of the vests.

“This is a step we need to take,” Commissioner Kenneth Shea said. “No question about it.”

The deputies now use a vest made of Zylon, which had been touted as a strong material. Recently, however, the manufacturer has stopped making the vests after tests showed that they wear out faster than predicted.

The department purchased the Zylon vests because they were light and they were less expensive than the Kevlar vests made by the same company. They were supposed to have a “shelf life” of six years, Sheriff William Clark told commissioners this week.

“There’s a problem with the vests,” Clark said. “They’re not getting two years out of them. The material flattens out and the vests are failing.”

There have been instances in other parts of the country in which police officers have been injured when the vests failed, he said.

“This is a safety issue,” Clark said. “This is a real liability.”

Many other departments around the state, including the Maine State Police, are seeking to replace the Zylon vests. According to Clark, the company has offered two options: acquiring a lighter vest that could be worn over the Zylon vests, or replacing the existing vests with the Kevlar model at a reduced price.

Wearing a second vest would be bulky and restrict the officers’ movements, Clark told commissioners. He said he had opted to purchase the Kevlar vests, but needed to transfer funds in order to do so.