Law Enforcement Body Armor FAQs: Police body armor isn’t actually any different than what any American citizen can purchase from RMA Armament. Every American should have access to the highest quality American-made armor, no matter their credentials.
Do police wear bulletproof vests?
Most police officers wear ballistic body armor as a part of their daily duties outside their station. Since nothing in existence is truly ‘bulletproof’, the term has largely been replaced by ‘ballistic’ to represent the idea of efficacy against ballistic threats. After all, exerting enough mass and force on anything will eventually break through. The science of ballistic protection includes more than the idea of stopping a bullet. Law enforcement, military, and civilian buyers and manufacturers have to weigh several factors when making a buying decision. Department policy, price, bulk, weight, protection level, and expected threat level all play a role in determining which style of armor is appropriate and practical for police body armor.
What level body armor do police wear?
Most patrol officers choose to wear level IIIA soft armor vests for their everyday wear while on duty. But this is often supplemented with level III and IV 5 x 8 or 7 x 9 hard plates that can come in small form factors for inclusion with everyday duty wear. Full-size body armor plates can also be added on the fly to many armor carriers on the market for responding to dangerous situations like an active shooter that require a higher level of ballistic protection. For example, RMA’s Contego Concealable IIIa Vest includes front and back plate pockets, perfect for 10×12 armor plates for an upgrade to rifle protection. Many detectives and administrative personnel don’t expect to encounter very much in the way of ballistic threats on a daily basis, and often choose level II armor to minimize weight and maximize comfort. SWAT officers expect that the potential to be hit with incoming rifle fire increases dramatically during entry into a home or other occupied structure. Since the situation bring the potential of an adversary that may be heavily armed, SWAT needs maximum coverage and higher tier level III and IV rifle rated protection.
Do police wear Kevlar?
Police officers don’t wear actual Kevlar anymore in any great numbers. In law enforcement, Kevlar has been superseded by many other high-strength ballistic fabrics like Twaron, Dyneema, Spectra, and other para-aramid and UHMWPE fabrics. Even though Kevlar was the first ballistic fiber, it wasn’t the last. Dozens of subsequent discoveries and inventions have yielded fabrics with much greater ballistic resistance properties by weight, resulting in thinner and lighter vests and plates. Kevlar still has its uses, but is really only found in low-price budget armor today.
Is police body armor heavy?
Law enforcement body armor is extremely lightweight compared to much of what the military has worn the past several decades. Advances in technology often hit state and municipal law enforcement and consumer markets first due to the way federal contracts and agency approval processes lock in the buyer and supplier for a years-long agreement to purchase the same item over and over again. Because of the competitive focus on the law enforcement market by the body armor industry, state and municipal police tend to always have the lightest and most advanced body armor available before anyone else does. There are many lightweight level 4 body armor, level 3+ body armor and level 3 body armor options to choose from.
What is the best body armor for police?
Simply put, there is no ‘best’ police body armor, and no single brand rules the market. Police wear a variety of different styles of armor for different roles. SWAT wears a level II or IIIA full-coverage kit including throat, groin, bicep, and more with level III, III+, or IV rifle plates. Patrol officers most often wear a level IIIA vest that can be supplemented by rifle plates, and detectives and administrative personnel usually have a level II or IIIA vest that is a little more stripped down in load carriage to minimize weight and bulk. All police body armor should be NIJ 0101.06 certified as the BVP grant requires for departments to receive funding.
What brand of body armor do police wear?
Not all police wear the same brand body armor. In fact, there are about a dozen major brands of armor worn by law enforcement officers nationwide, including RMA Armament.
Do police buy their own body armor?
Most of the time, an individual police officer will purchase their own body armor. Unless specifically superseded by law or administrative jurisdiction, every department writes their own policy about body armor purchasing and wear. Since officer turnover largely happens on a case-by-case basis and humans have different shapes and sizes, most departments find it easier to simply reimburse individual body armor purchases for their officers. Under the federal Ballistic Vest Partnership program, BVP provides funding to a police department to cover half of the cost of virtually any NIJ II or IIIA certified body armor vest on the market as long as the department enforces a mandatory wear policy.
What plate carrier does SWAT use?
There is no one universal plate carrier that SWAT teams use. Despite marketing by many companies to the contrary, most SWAT units utilize systems that cost in excess of $2000 per unit that provide extensive II or IIIA coverage in addition to level III+ or level IV plates. There are several reasons for this. Most SWAT engagements are focused on serving warrants or a single or small number of barricaded subjects within a small location. Due to most teams having 4+ direct action members acting within a small area, there are numerous benefits to up-armoring in ways that wouldn’t be beneficial to civilians. The added bulk and weight of extended coverage body armor isn’t as important of a consideration when traveling across a very small area. Weight and bulk are distinct tactical disadvantages for a single person, but they are not as detrimental to a larger team due to the tactics and mission profile of units like SWAT.
Police officers and other law enforcement agencies perform a wide range of duties, a lot of which put them in harm’s way. Whether police officers are simply patrolling the streets, making a routine traffic stop, or engaging armed assailants and organized criminals, they are quite likely to be shot at.
Body armor helps police officers stay safe when performing their duties. Almost all police officers who step out on the field, use some form of body armor. So, in today’s post, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about Police officers and body armor.
Though Body armor is a standard requirement for law enforcement officers, there is no standard ballistic vest that all police officers wear. Every state jurisdiction and every department can choose vests from different body armor manufacturers, and use them differently because of several social, political, or objective reasons.
Regardless of the manufacturer, Almost all law enforcement officers use some form of ballistic armor when they step out of their precinct offices. For the most part, uniformed police officers wear concealable soft armor vests under their uniform. Some departments may allow officers to wear ballistic vests over their uniform, however, most departments prefer concealable armor to prevent the Police militarization image.
As far as the protection level is concerned, almost all police officers use Level IIIA bulletproof vests. Level IIIA is the higher level of ballistic protection you can get from soft armor, and it is rated to stop all common pistol calibers up to .44 magnum.
Some special police units may also wear tactical vests with modern load-bearing systems to carry their tactical gear. Police officers use these armored vests when they are performing raids, operations, and drug busts.
Typically, most police officers use protective vests, however, some police departments may also use armor plates in tactical plate carriers. These armor plates are designed to counter rifle threats and can be more expensive than soft body armor.
It is very rare for general duty police officers to wear plate carriers, however, special SWAT and other tactical units use hard armor plates when responding to situations where they are more likely to be shot at with rifles.
The National Institute of Justice specifies two levels of hard armor plates. Police officers are more likely to use Level III armor plates, which can offer ballistic protection against rifle calibers up to .308 Winchester or 7.62 Nato
Level 3+ Ceramic Lightweight Plate 10×12″
LEVEL III+ SPECIAL THREAT 10×12″ LIGHTWEIGHT ARMOR PLATE
Price
$401.00Level 3+ Multi-curve Special Threat Armor Plate
LEVEL III+ SPECIAL THREAT LIGHTWEIGHT MULTI-CURVE PLATE
Price
$388.00Most police officers in the US use Level IIIA body armor since it is best suited for their general duties. Level IIIA body armor is usually made from soft Aramid fibers, which allows it to be flexible and comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Moreover, Level IIIA soft armor is also quite light. A typical level IIIA bullet proof vest can weigh around 4-5 lbs.
Though level IIIA plates don’t offer the highest level of protection, they still protect law enforcement officers from the most common ballistic threats they face. Moreover, they are also more practical than armor plates when you consider concealability, weight, and comfort.
Level IIIA body armor is rated to stop pistol ammunition. They can stop common pistol calibers like 9mm, .45 ACP, .40 S&W, and almost all calibers up to .44 magnum. General duty officers, and even non-uniform detectives and federal agents are way more likely to face pistol threats in their line of duty, which is why level IIIA bulletproof vests are the best choice for a wide range of dangerous situations.
Comp-28 Bulletproof Vest Level IIIA Standard
TACTICAL VEST STOPS UP TO .44 MAG
Price
$592.00Torque Bulletproof Tactical Vest
TACTICAL BULLETPROOF VEST MODULAR & LOAD BEARING
Price
$412.00Apart from bullets, law enforcement units also face a wide range of other threats when they are on the streets. Stabbing attacks from knives and spikes can be quite dangerous as well. Moreover, there have been several cases where law enforcement units have been stabbed with needles, and improvised weapons, especially when dealing with drug addicts, and mentally unwell people.
These needles can carry very dangerous diseases, and be very dangerous even if they slightly penetrate the skin. Therefore, law enforcement officers also need protection from stabbing attacks. Now, simple ballistic vests can offer some resistance to knives, however, spikes and especially needles can penetrate them. Therefore, Anti-Stab armor is designed specifically to prevent stabbing attacks from knives, spikes, and needles.
In some situations, law enforcement units are much more likely to face melee attacks from spiked and edged weapons. For instance, corrections officers in prisons are much more likely to be stabbed than to be shot. Therefore, they specifically use anti-stab vests, whereas some police departments may also use dual protection vests that offer protection against both bullets and stabbing attacks.
Though the main purpose of a bulletproof vest is to offer ballistic protection to the wearer, it can serve several other functions as well. Tactical vests can be used to carry a wide range of tactical gear and have it easily accessible at all times. Many police officers who wear overt tactical vests carry items like extra magazines, a Tazer, handcuffs, and a communication radio on their vests, using its load-bearing system.
Most plate carriers and vests use the MOLLE load-bearing system, which is a standard in the US and most Nato countries. This load-bearing system allows law enforcement officers to mount all of their essential equipment on their ballistic vests.
If you are in law enforcement, and you are looking for the perfect tactical vest, AceLink Armor has got you covered. They make a wide range of high-quality ballistic vests, however, their Patrol and Livewire tactical vests are perfect for Law Enforcement use.
Both vests come with level IIIA soft armor inserts, and you can also opt for the AceLink Armor Flexcore inserts which are very comfortable and great for female shooters as well.
Firstly, the Patrol ballistic vest by AceLink Armor is made from Durable 500D Nylon Fabric and allows you to carry both soft and hard armor panels. Since the Patrol vest is specifically designed for law enforcement, it features attachment points on both shoulders, for cameras, lights, and communication mics. It also has multiple pockets for your gear and is super comfortable to wear for long duty hours.
The Livewire tactical vest is also an excellent option from AceLink Armor. It falls in the same price bracket as the Patrol vest and has several features that make it perfect for law enforcement officers. It has multiple pockets and MOLLE attachment loops on the front. It features multiple attachment points for chest cams, tactical gear, and shoulder radios. Moreover, with its super mesh interior, the Livewire tactical vest can be worn comfortably for extended periods of time.
Patrol Bulletproof Vest Level IIIA Standard
OVERT VEST STOPS UP TO .44 MAG
Price
$565.00Livewire Bulletproof Vest Level IIIA Standard
ON DUTY VEST STOPS UP TO .44 MAG
Price
$565.00