For a great many law enforcement professionals today, body armor selection isn’t a selection; their body armor is issued by their agency and they wear whatever they’re given. For many of them, since they have no say in what they wear, they don’t pay much attention to the ratings, slash resistance, weight and more. But they need to know this information – it’s crucial to their decisions on the street. Having such knowledge can have a strong impact on the decisions made on the street under threat or risk. This article will serve to offer a basic familiarity with body armor characteristics to all officers.
Protection Levels
Most of us in law enforcement for more than a decade remember the original rating levels for protection and had some familiarity with what levels would stop which calibers / bullets. The general rule of thumb was you always wore body armor that would at least stop your duty ammo. In 2006 the National Institute of Justice implemented new threat level ratings. A good basic description of the current protection level standards can be found here: https://justnet.org/pdf/Understanding-Armor-Protection.pdf As a minimum recommendation, it would be good for all law enforcement officers to be wearing body armor AT LEAST rated to Level IIIA, with Level III being even better.
Trauma Rating and Backface Deformation
While many of us think of “bullet proof vests” as exactly that, there are two HUGE factors about body armor that need to be understood: first, body armor is projectile resistant. It’s not “bullet proof.” Second, the penetration of a projectile is not the only potential injury that can be received; blunt trauma and backface deformation – how much the body armor bends backwards, essentially in a conical shape – can cause severe injuries including organ bruising, contusions, broken bones and more. The perceived connection between “thin and lightweight” and “comfortable” most often ignores the relationship between “thin and lightweight” and increased potential for trauma caused by backface deformation.
Spike / Slash Resistance (and the difference between the two)
Penetrating trauma is bad. That’s why we wear body armor in the first place. That said, ballistic materials absorb a spinning projectile’s energy by slowing it’s spin and forward momentum, stopping it before it can penetrate the body behind the armor. There is no spin to a spike or a knife; spike is straight penetration and the knives make slashing cuts (potentially). Body armor CAN be designed to stop both of these, but that intent has to exist in the design. That’s why there is different armor primarily designed for Corrections Officers who regularly face spike and slash attacks as compared to Patrol Officers who more regularly face shooting attacks but MAY face spike or slash attacks.
Most common fabrics / materials used
There are three primary types of “armor” material in common use today. Para-Aramids are synthetic fibers with high strength-to-weight ratios. Simplified, these materials are used to make threads/strands that are woven together to form layers of soft armor. Two of the most common para-aramid materials are Kevlar® and Twaron®. The second common material used for body armor is Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene or UHMWPE. Without going too in depth, this material is reported to have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than para-aramids; as much as 40% more. The last common type of armor is Hard Armor such as steel or ceramics. It should be up to the end user to know what their needs are, which type(s) of materials should be used to provide the necessary level of protection, and what comfort levels will accompany such. To see all of the armor products GT Distributors offers, CLICK HERE.
Ballistic Vest or JUST Carrier?
As you shop for your vest, be aware that sometimes all you need is an external equipment carrier. For example, if you normally wear concealed armor but need a “special circumstances” equipment vest, you can find a purchase the external armor carrier without the armor panels. Carriers by themselves offer zero ballistic protection and when you see “ballistic nylon” that is NOT ballistic material; it’s a commercial term used to describe the nylon material used. Get what you need but don’t think you’re getting one thing and end up getting something else.
GT Distributors (www.gtdist.com) has a wide variety of body armor, armor carriers, panels, helmets and more. Check them out online for all your ballistic protection needs.
Editor's Note: This article is a paid for and sponsored piece of content purchased by GT Distributors.
