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NIJ's Bullet-Resistant Vest Standard Reaches Milestone

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NIJ's Bullet-Resistant Vest Standard Reaches Milestone JOURNAL ISSUE NO. 249 / JULY 2003 NIJ’s Bullet-Resistant Vest Standard Reaches Milestone t is now 30 years since NIJ introduced the first ballistic-resistant body armor standard. WHAT DOES “BULLET-RESISTANT” IDeveloped in response to a dramatic rise MEAN? in fatalities among law enforcement officers during the 1960’s, the standard truly is a Unfortunately, there is no such thing as success story. Vests tested and worn in bulletproof armor. Although body armor accordance with the standard are credited can provide protection against a significant with saving more than 2,500 lives. Now rec- number of handguns, officers must keep ognition and acceptance of the standard has in mind that the armor was selected on the grown worldwide, making it the performance basis of limited threat protection. Additional benchmark for bullet-resistant vests. protection should be worn for SWAT team, hostage rescue, or Special Operations History of the Standard assignments, when officers may be exposed to a weapon threat greater Prior to 1972, military flack jackets were than the protection provided by regular the only type of personal protection worn duty armor. by police officers. But flack jackets only protected against shrapnel and bullet fragments—they did nothing to lessen ® the direct impact of a bullet. from Kevlar , a ballistic-resistant fabric. Although the first version of the vest In 1972, NIJ initiated development of a consisted only of square front and back lightweight body armor that officers could panels with nylon straps, within 6 months wear on duty. The result was NIJ’s funding this simple design was credited with of the production of 5,000 vests made saving a police officer’s life. NIJ JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 249 Vests tested and WHAT IS THE STANDARD? worn in accordance The NIJ bullet-resistant vest standard validates manufacturers’ product claims through a performance-based evaluation system. The standard establishes minimum perform- with the standard ance levels so that—at the very least—the product should perform as outlined in the standard. are credited with The standard was originally intended to give law enforcement and corrections officials saving more than an independent way to test and confirm manufacturers’ claims about bullet-resistant body armor. The law enforcement community, however, lacked the budget and exper- 2,500 lives. Now tise to test every body armor product in use. In the early 1970’s, NIJ established an independent testing program to ensure that personal body armor met minimum per- recognition and formance levels. Once that program was set up, in 1972, a manufacturer could not acceptance of label its product as being in compliance until it was tested and approved through the NIJ program. the standard has The NIJ standards development process is cooperative in nature, involving fiber grown worldwide, producers, weavers, and manufacturers; law enforcement and corrections personnel; and NIJ. making it the performance benchmark for Production of body armor for law enforce- how NIJ tests and validates body armor ment officers subsequently took off. and how the Office of Law Enforcement bullet-resistant Currently, more than 90 body armor Standards develops its performance levels. manufacturers worldwide participate An updated publication, Selection and vests. in NIJ’s voluntary testing program. Application Guide to Police Body Armor, published by NIJ, explains the selection and The 1972 ballistic body armor standard use of body armor and discusses common has been revised four times. Each revision concerns, helps law enforcement and cor- has made the standard more detailed, rections personnel determine the level of addressing increasingly sophisticated protection needed by officers, and details technologies, particularly in weaponry NIJ’s recent stab-resistant standard. (See and ammunition. The current standard, “Stab- and Puncture-Resistant Armor,” updated in 2000, upgrades the testing page 27.) methods for measuring ballistic protection, incorporates current threats from ammu- A Funding Mechanism. The Bulletproof nition, and tries to ensure consistent Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1998 (BVP) laboratory testing of body armor. allows most law enforcement and correc- tions agencies to afford body armor. The Purposes of the Standard Bureau of Justice Assistance and NIJ offer an online application and reimbursement An Educational Process. Education of system for law enforcement and corrections the law enforcement community about agencies seeking BVP funds. The BVP Web body armor is an ongoing process, and page provides a direct link to NLECTC’s NIJ’s National Law Enforcement and compliance database as well as to manufac- Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) turers and products. is a key resource. NLECTC’s user-friendly video, Surviving a Shooting: Your Guide to BVP funds can only be used to buy a product Personal Body Armor, explains what body that has been tested and approved by NIJ, armor is, what it can and cannot protect making it the first law of its kind to tie use against, how to select it, and how to wear of funding under the Act to a product’s com- and care for it properly. The video shows pliance with a national standard. Agencies 25 NIJ JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 249 can cite selected information from NIJ’s WHAT ARE NIJ STANDARDS AND HOW DO THEY HELP? Consumer Product List on their applications for BVP funding. How NIJ Standards Benefit Law Enforcement NIJ’s testing and standards program is crucial to law enforcement The Future of Body Armor and corrections agencies, which typically are not set up to either fund or carry out new product research. By developing the standard, putting Because advances in weapons and ammu- the testing program together, and encouraging manufacturers to parti- nition technology constantly pose new cipate, NIJ is able to provide law enforcement and corrections person- threats, the need for research and develop- nel with clear and concise written information that informs purchasing ment of more effective personal body armor decisions on personal safety products such as body armor. An online is ongoing. Among the next challenges for Consumer Product List identifies specific models that meet the stan- ballistic-resistant armor is to produce a dard and allows potential purchasers—particularly those on limited lighter weight vest that provides maximum budgets—to make wise selections. Online databases present all the comfort as well as optimal protection. test data on each product plus the bottom-line performance results. To access these databases, go to http://www.justnet.org and click on the Multihit Capability of Ballistic-Resistant “Testing and Evaluation” link. Armor. No current standard exists for a The Product List and online databases benefit two key groups: (1) the vest that can withstand multiple gun shots law enforcement and corrections communities, by listing products that within a very small target area. To address have been tested; and (2) the manufacturing community, by establish- this need, NIJ is partnering with the Royal ing a benchmark for products that will meet the needs of potential Canadian Mounted Police and Canada’s customers. Defense Research Establishment Valcartier The standards can help consumers who may be concerned about the to develop a testing protocol and specifica- performance of a particular product. Law enforcement and corrections tions for providing multihit testing capability. agencies can cite the standards when negotiating with manufacturers A revision of the current standard to include for the repair or replacement of their products, or if necessary, when this capability is expected in 3–5 years. litigating a product’s lack of compliance with the standards. Life Expectancy of Vests. Armor is typically How NIJ Standards Are Developed worn as an undergarment, and if it is not Typically, the standard for ballistic body armor—and other NIJ properly cared for, its ballistic capabilities standards as well—is developed as follows: can significantly degrade. Most manufac- ■ NIJ funds and directs the research, based primarily on input from turers limit their warranties to 5 years. In law enforcement and corrections professionals. response to the concerns of public safety advocates about the life cycle of a vest after ■ NIJ’s standards-setting body, the Office of Law Enforcement Standards, part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, its 5-year warranty ends, NIJ, through the buys samples of the equipment, identifies minimum performance Technical Support Working Group, is con- factors, evaluates current applicable standards, develops and vali- ducting age-regression studies on ballistic dates test methodologies and protocols, and produces a voluntary panels exposed to simulated aging to performance standard. measure their protective capabilities. ■ NIJ alerts the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) to set up a testing program to support the Ballistic Helmets. In response to law new standard. enforcement reports that officers increas- ingly need to wear ballistic helmets, NIJ is ■ NLECTC accredits independent laboratories to perform testing in updating its 1981 ballistic helmets standard accord with the standard. to take into account more current ammuni- ■ NLECTC introduces the standard to the manufacturing community tion threats. This testing program is explor- and asks that products be submitted for testing under the standard. ing better ways of measuring the blunt ■ Product samples are sent to NLECTC, where
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