15. If You Are Shot in Your Armor You Will Be Able to Fight Back
There are numerous cases of officers who have been shot in their body armor. Most say the experience is like being hit with a hammer. Usually, the result is a nasty-looking bruise caused by backface deformation. But no one has died from this trauma. It’s unlikely that it will even incapacitate you. Many officers shot in their armor have not missed a beat, shot back at their attacker, and neutralized the threat. And that was before the advent of the latest vest materials, which are designed to minimize the effects of blunt impact.
16. Vests Are Rigorously Tested
There is a persistent rumor in the law enforcement community that manufacturers reinforce the spots shot by the NIJ before the vests are certified. The testing protocol does not permit manufacturers to cheat in this manner.
17. How to Prevent Panel Sag
When your ballistic panels sag, your vest is not as comfortable and you may be losing protection. The best way to prevent this problem is to rotate your carriers. Most vests are sold with two carriers. Safariland recommends that you have three. By rotating carriers, you can prevent the Velcro straps from wearing out and prevent wear of the carrier fabric.
18. Stay Fit or Get New Armor
If you pack on five percent to 10 percent or more body weight than you had when the vest was fitted, you need a new vest. If you should lose weight, you may also need a new vest.
19. Your Carrier Offers No Ballistic Protection
Never go on duty wearing just the carrier. It offers no more ballistic protection than your favorite shirt.
20. There’s a Right Way and a Wrong Way
Ballistic panels are designed to fit into your carrier in a specific way. Flipping them can lead to tragedy. The strike face of the panel is designed to slow the bullet and disperse the bullet’s energy; the back of the panel is designed to minimize trauma. “It’s a one-way system,” says Safariland’s Geshay. “If you flip the panel, there’s no guarantee that the vest will stop the round.
21. Unless It Is Stab Resistant, Your Vest is Not Likely to Protect You from a Knife Attack
Stab vests are a different fiber and different weave from bullet-resistant vests. Multi-threat vests are available, but they are heavier and more expensive.
22. Your Vest Can Save Your Life In a Vehicle Accident
Each year at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference, DuPont holds a ceremony for officers saved by Kevlar body armor. A sizable portion of these cops were saved not from the bullets of bad guys but from impacts with the steering columns of their patrol cars following vehicle accidents.
23. Ladies, Your Body Armor Should Be Made for You
Women need more trauma protection for their chests, and they need real bra style cups like what you would find in a one-piece bathing suit.
24. It’s a Vest, Not a Body Suit
Your body armor should not fit like a high-tech running suit. When you are being fitted, take a deep breath and hold it. That’s the gap that you want between your body and the armor panels. This gap helps minimize trauma in case of bullet impact. It also makes it easier for you to run and fight on the job. “Armor functions better when it can move,” says U.S. Armor’s Olsen. “You want to pull on the straps and just feel some tension. A lot of new guys want to strap it on like it’s a corset or a girdle. But when you do that and you have a foot pursuit, it will feel like somebody is sitting on your chest.”
25. Duct Tape is Not a Replacement for Vest Straps
Geshay says he’s seen an officer use duct tape to fasten a vest to his body. This is a bad idea for several reasons. “When you duct tape it down, it doesn’t move properly on your body,” he says. “That can cause a coverage issue in a ballistic event. Oh, and duct tape does not add extra ballistic protection.”
26. Wearing Two Vests Will Not Double Your Protection
While it’s true that many, many layers of ballistic panels could stop an AK round, it’s unlikely that anybody could operate while burdened with that much soft armor. Lightweight Level IV and Level III plates are made of hundreds of layers of polyethylene pressed by a huge machine. You really can’t achieve that level of protection by wearing multiple vests.
27. You Need Front and Back Protection
In the summer, some cops like to wear just their front panels. This is a really bad idea.
28. Your Trauma Pad Is There for a Reason
Some cops love that pocket on the back of their carrier that houses the trauma pad. They like to use it for a cell phone carrier, a backup gun holster, and just a great pocket. It’s there for your trauma pad; don’t use it for anything else. It’s there to minimize the bruising you will experience if you are shot in your vest.
29. Once Shot, Your Vest Is Ruined
Once a vest gets a bullet, it’s done.
30. Your Vest Can’t Save You If It’s In Your Car Trunk or Your Locker
The saddest thing in law enforcement is to hear that an officer was killed in the line of duty by a bullet that could have been stopped by a vest. Wear your vest.
David Griffith is the editor of Police Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected].
