COLUMBIA (WACH/AP) -- A Columbia police officer is getting a ballistic vest from an area business owner.
Chief Randy Scott says Officer Antonio Greene is getting a vest from Debbie McDaniel.
McDaniel owns Revente, a resale shop in Columbia's Five Points area. Scott says Daniel helped sponsor a fundraiser called "Invest in a Vest" after another Columbia officer, Alex Broder, was shot in the line of duty in April 2011.
“It felt like a mack truck had hit me in the chest,” Broder recalls.
Broder was shot on just his fifth day working with the Columbia Police Department.
“He stepped out of the car, fired one shot, and returned to the car in about one second,” Broder said.
At the time of the shooting Columbia Police Chief Scott said all patrolmen and investigators are required to wear their department issued bulletproof vests when on duty.
"Seeing that something as simple as a vest could save someone's life - but it was not in the budget to make sure that every police officer in Columbia had a vest that was current - we felt that it was necessary to do what we could as a community," said McDaniel.
McDaniel says Greene has become like family.
The "Invest in a Vest" effort raised more than $2,000. Officials say the vests can range from $600 to $1,000 each.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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