Vests

WASHINGTON - In blunt testimony before Congress, Mayor Martin O'Malley and Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris criticized the FBI yesterday for not working more closely with the nation's local law enforcement agencies in its sweeping pursuit of suspected terrorists. O'Malley and Norris expressed particular frustration that local police, including Baltimore's 3,000-plus officers, aren't being asked to check out any of the more than 260,000 leads that have poured into the FBI since Sept.

In an effort to attract and retain government workers, the Carroll commissioners are considering a proposal that would enhance the county's 401(k) retirement plan. "I am especially concerned about people at the lower end of the pay scale, who may not have much money to invest," said Commissioner Donald I. Dell. "These improvements would broaden their options." Under the proposal, Carroll employees would be able to contribute to the 401(k) retirement immediately, and would be eligible to receive the maximum match in county dollars after three years.

TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Shannon Watt of Hampstead has received national attention and a $10,000 scholarship for her efforts to provide bulletproof vests for Maryland police dogs. The Shiloh Middle School sixth-grader sells homemade dog biscuits and bandanas, runs carwashes and volleyball tournaments, and writes to businesses soliciting donations for events such as the raffle she's planning for Hampstead Day on May 26. "A lot of dogs in Maryland didn't have bulletproof protection," Shannon said.

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. - Each time the heavy gates clank shut behind him, prison guard Robert Trono enters a violent realm of men with nothing left to lose. The 39-year-old sergeant works in a cramped concrete cellblock that houses 85 criminals awaiting execution. It is a place where riot gear, stab-proof vests, biohazard body suits and fear are standard issue. Trono helps oversee inmates known as the Grade-B condemned, the most dangerous of San Quentin State Prison's 580 death row prisoners.

Police agencies from across the state threw their support yesterday behind a bill to restrict the sale and possession of body armor, a measure that faces equally strong opposition from members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. During yesterday's hearing in Annapolis, skeptical committee members questioned the necessity for the bill and expressed their concern that the proposed law would put an unnecessary burden on law-abiding citizens. Under the law, it would be illegal for most people to own body armor, or bullet-resistant vests, unless they obtained a permit.

Shiloh Middle School sixth-grader Shannon Watt was honored yesterday for her efforts to provide bulletproof vests for police dogs. Maryland State Police Field Operations Bureau Chief Lt. Col. William Arrington, interim school Superintendent Charles I. Ecker and other local officials honored Shannon for her dedication and service to the law enforcement community. Shannon spent 55 hours on the school's community service project to raise money for the vests. She raised enough money to buy four vests at $485 each.

The Orioles and Cal Ripken officially agreed yesterday to a one-year, $6.3 million contract that reflects both the status and production of an icon near the end of his Hall of Fame career, but also acknowledges the realities of a 40-year-old third baseman bothered by back problems for much of the past four seasons. The deal, which represents a de facto rollover of Ripken's contract from last season, was finalized 11 days after a lunch meeting with Orioles owner Peter Angelos caused the player to call his return for a 21st season with the team "inevitable."

ST. LOUIS - In the midst of a takeover battle for Busch Memorial Stadium two decades ago, Paul Anthony Novelly was walking out of the ballpark with his lawyer when a newspaper photographer tried to snap his picture. In a classic Novelly move, he quickly raised a briefcase to shield his face from the camera. Now at the center of another very public takeover battle - control of Crown Central Petroleum Corp. in Baltimore - Novelly is still trying to avoid the limelight. The owner of privately held Apex Oil Co. does not give interviews, executives at his company are reticent about providing even the most basic information regarding holdings and sales, and his generous charitable contributions come with the caveat that they not be publicized.

A Hampstead girl, who has collected nearly $1,000 toward her goal of providing bulletproof vests for police dogs in Maryland, has outfitted her first canine - Dano, a German shepherd used by Westminster officers. Shannon Watt, 11, a sixth-grader at Shiloh Middle School, bestowed Dano with a Kevlar vest - which fits over his back and covers his chest and flanks - during a recent presentation at Westminster police headquarters. She will soon present one of the $485 vests to the county sheriff's office and plans to buy a third for the local state police barracks.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -There was a time when a military flak vest served as a symbol of Northern Ireland's terrorist troubles. But if a Maryland-owned firm gets its way, a medical vest designed to quickly detect heart attacks could help save lives worldwide, provide good jobs in Belfast and become a new symbol for a peaceful Northern Ireland. Meridian Medical Technologies of Columbia is embarking on a European launch of the PRIME ECG electrocardiac mapping system, created and manufactured in Belfast.