Tampa, Florida --  A recent survey of hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country reveals only about half require their men and women to wear the body armor they are assigned while on duty.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Police Executive Research Forum surveyed 782 agencies across the country.  59 percent said they require the use of armor, while 41 percent say they do no not.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says they do not required their deputies to wear the vests, but encourage them to do so.

Sheriff Judd says Deputy Michael Braswell and Deputy Paul Fairbanks were wearing their vests when they were allegedly shot by suspect Michael Tutt early Friday morning.

"Quite frankly, the reason Deputy Braswell is alive and well today was because he was wearing his bulletproof vest," said Sheriff Judd.

The policies vary agency to agency across the Bay area, but all of the agencies say they encourage the use of vests by their men and women.

Thomas Sabo, general manager of Dana Safety Supply in Tampa, which supplies vests to law enforcement agencies, says he knows the value of the armor.

"It's an absolute lifesaver," he said. "It's a very good feeling when you get to go and shake a person's hand and give them a replacement vest and you know that their wife and kids have a husband and father to come home to them at night because of something you were involved in."

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