Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV told City Council members Friday that he recently approved a new sleeveless "bulletproof vest carrier" for departmental use that officers can wear over their uniform.

It's a more convenient option than the traditional, and often burdensome, models.

Officers now wear the vests underneath their uniforms, which makes removal for, say, a court appearance, less than quick and easy. Similarly, as the weather heats up, some officers might be more inclined to simply leave the hot and uncomfortable vest in their cruiser.

Department policy doesn't mandate that officers wear the vests, although Owen said most do.

KPD Officer Norman Rickman was shot while responding to a residential burglary alarm in Northwest Knoxville on May 20. He was not wearing his department-issued vest at the time.

Owen told council members at their budget hearing Friday that Rickman, who also was shot while not wearing a vest during a 2001 traffic stop, is off a ventilator and eating solid foods but remains far from full recovery.

"We believe his condition has been upgraded to serious from critical," the chief said. "We are optimistic that the worst times have passed, and we thank the good Lord for that."

The newly approved vest carriers look like a standard uniformed shirt with ballistic paneling inside. They can be pulled on and off, much like a sweater vest, said Owen, and adjusted for comfort with Velcro straps.

The new models have been field tested by KPD officers, and Owen said he approved them for use just before Rickman's shooting. The vest carriers cost about $100 apiece, and officers can purchase them with their $500 annual clothing allowance, Owen said.

"We are satisfied it is something practical to wear," he said.

Councilman Bob Becker said that for $30,000-$40,000, the city could outfit the entire department with the new models. If that happened, he asked Owen whether he would change KPD's policy to require that officers wear the bullet protection while on patrol.

"I would certainly consider that," Owen said.

Also Friday, Owen told council members that KPD's requested $44.7 million operating budget includes a $300,000 state grant that would fund two more officers for the Knoxville Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. In turn, the KPD's authorized force would be increased from 414 to 416 officers.

Currently, the department includes 388 officers, with a new class of 35 recruits expected to begin training in August.

Their graduation next spring "will put us at full complement, which is something I've been working on since I got here," Owen said.

Several years of budget cuts whittled that authorized force level from 456 to 414 officers by 2005. KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said that while the numbers of authorized versus actual officers varies throughout the year, KPD has not finished a year with a full, authorized muster since 1996.

Becker, who has pushed for increasing the police ranks throughout his tenure on council, welcomed the news.