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How body armor is advancing to keep up with today’s new threats

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EVOLUTION OF PROTECTION

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EDITOR’S NOTE Thousand Oaks. Pittsburgh. Santa Fe. Parkland. Las Vegas. Dallas. Orlando. Boston. The list of communities impacted by acts of mass violence grows week by week.

Today’s law enforcement officer faces multiple threats from many directions. Gone are the days when rank-and-file officers waited for SWAT to neutralize a threat., All line-level officers need to be ready to respond to active killers, police ambushes and acts of terror that require protection provided by both soft and rifle-rated body armor.

Advances in body armor offer both improved protection and comfort. It is imperative that law enforcement leaders stay educated on the armor developments that protect officers from the myriad threats they face every day.

In this eBook, Steve Tracy discusses why today’s threats require a new level of body armor. Warren Wilson gives a detailed look at NIJ changes to body armor ballistic standards and new advancements in body armor technology, as well as tips on what to look for when choosing body armor for your department.

It is our sincere hope that this publication equips law enforcement agencies with the information they need to protect each and every member of their department with the body armor required to counter today’s threats and come home safely at the end of their shift.

Nancy Perry, Editor-in-Chief, PoliceOne

CONTENTS

4 Why today’s threats require a new approach to body armor

8 How a new generation of body armor can better protect officers

12 Body Armor: How to choose the right tool for the job

CONTRIBUTORS Steve Tracy recently retired from the Park Ridge Police Department (which borders the northwestside of Chicago) after 30 years of service, 28 as a firearms instructor.

Warren Wilson is a lieutenant with the Enid Police Department in Oklahoma. He is a former SWAT team leader, current firearms instructor and writer. He has been a full-time law enforcement officer since 1996.

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Wear a ballistic vest every day to protect yourself against sudden threatsBy Steve Tracy

Reflecting upon the start of my career as a police officer 30 years ago, I shudder at the thought that none of my fellow shift-mates wore soft body armor. I was the only officer in roll call wearing a ballistic vest under my uniform shirt. I was also the only officer in roll call who wasn’t smoking a cigarette. The times have changed, and mostly for the better.

How Officers Wear Body Armor TodaySoft body armor is still worn by officers under uniform shirts, but outer vest carriers have become much more popular. These carriers often match the

uniform shirt and house the soft ballistic panels, where they are supported by wide straps and secured with hook-and-loop fasteners. Comfort is, of course, still of great importance. If soft body armor is uncomfortable, police officers are not going to wear it.

Resistance to outer vest carriers based on appearance has been far outweighed by the value they provide in saving police officers’ lives. Outer vest carriers also help distribute weight to prevent back and other health problems. These carriers can easily store body worn cameras, cell phones, extra ammunition magazines and even police radios with large batteries.

Why today’s threats require a new approach to body armor

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A 2011 National Institute of Justice study found that safety concerns were the No. 1 reason given by police officers for wearing ballistic armor. The second reason was that the officer’s agency required it as a matter of policy. This is concerning, as it implies that some officers are only wearing body armor because they have to.

Why You Should Wear Body Armor Every DayIn today’s world, anything can happen at any time, and officers need to protect themselves. These needs have become more serious during the past few years. Officers on the street are aware of a palpable anti-police sentiment. It does not matter how it came about – what matters is that it’s out there and that it exists as a threat.

Ambushes and terrorism are realistic dangers police may have to contend with. Even common police

interactions can be tinged with anti-police anger that can quickly lead to provocative and explosive situations. There will always be those who do not like or respect the police, but when those people believe others will share an anti-police opinion (via news media, social media or their inner circle of acquaintances), it can make them more likely to physically act out against a police officer during otherwise innocuous interactions.

Police AmbushesYour chance of staying alive is better when you wear body armor. This is something we already know, but sometimes we need to be reminded of this obvious fact. The IACP Ambush Fact Sheet notes that 53 percent of ambushed officers wearing body armor survived the attacks, versus only 30 percent who were not wearing body armor.

A five-year trend from 2007 to 2012 shows a rise in police ambushes. Although officers are aware of

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the potential for an ambush due to news coverage, which in turn leads to roll call discussion, an ambush is a surprise by its very nature. There is little time to react.

Ballistic vests need to be recognized as everyday protection against these unexpected threats. There are not certain days you don’t wear your vest. Every day is a ballistic vest day.

Terrorism

The Boston Marathon bombings showed that local police are usually the first on the scene when terrorist attacks occur. This incident also showed – four days later – that local police can also be the ones confronting, engaging and arresting terrorists.

While ballistic vests protect against bullets, they can also protect against improvised explosives like those detonated at the Boston Marathon. They may not be rated for explosives, but a ballistic vest is certainly better than no vest at all when you’re assigned to traffic detail at a similar event.

Mass ShootingsMass shootings, such as the Dallas police ambush, active shooters at schools and the Las Vegas concert shooting, further show how local police are usually the first responders in violent situations. Some of these mass shootings are crossover events – the Dallas police incident was both an ambush and a mass shooting, and the San Bernardino incident was both a terrorist event and a mass shooting – making today’s officers aware that threats to their safety come from all directions.

Tougher Armor for Tougher Threats

The prevalence of high-capacity, high-velocity weapons in the hands of the general public, police ambushes and threats from homemade bombs mean that any line-level first responder may suddenly be in a dangerous situation where he or she needs the protection of body armor. But the 20-year old body armor that many departments rely on may not be up to par for today’s threats.

NIJ Standard-0101.06 is the most recent testing protocol, and it upgraded several aspects over the

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previous 0101.04 protocol. For example, more shots are fired when conducting ballistic tests, and vests are immersed in water for 30 minutes instead of the previous method of showering vests for six minutes. The goal of the new standard is to ensure that ballistic vests meet the needs of today’s police officers and will not degrade over a short period of time.

The advantage of soft body armor is that it’s comfortable enough to wear all shift, every shift, every day. Less flexible, more rigid tactical armor is usually rated to stop rifle rounds. While levels IIA, II and IIIA are rated to stop 9mm, .357 and .44 Magnum handgun rounds respectively, threat levels III (.308 rifle) and IV (.30-06 rifle) are hard or semi-rigid protection for higher-velocity bullets. These are not intended to be worn all shift or concealed under a uniform or vest cover. They are meant for SWAT, tactical or street officer deployment with notice of an impending incident.

How Will You Protect Yourself?It used to be that police officers wore body armor that, at a bare minimum, would stop the handgun round that the officer carried. That was a quaint time when being shot by one’s own handgun was our biggest fear in police work. Today, headlines about ambushes, terrorism and mass shootings remind us that much greater threats exist and can occur anywhere and at any time.

Has your soft body armor been tested to meet the newest NIJ standards? Will it still stop a bullet after you’ve been wearing it in your hot and humid town all summer? Do you trust it to hold up after working 12-hour shifts for the past three years, even if the manufacturer claims it will not expire for five years?

Should you consider investing in a rigid plate to keep in your duty bag that will quickly attach to your vest in case you have to respond to an active shooter in your community? Is a Level III shield something you could reasonably deploy from your squad car in case of an extreme response event when you’re the first officer arriving on scene?

Your answers to these questions could keep you alive and ready to protect and serve for another day.

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HOW A NEW GENERATION OF BODY ARMOR CAN BETTER PROTECT OFFICERS

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High-tech materials and construction, combined with ergonomic design, prepare law enforcement officers to meet today’s threatsBy Warren Wilson

Body armor has been in use since humans first realized its benefits centuries ago. Unfortunately, it didn’t become everyday equipment for law enforcement until late in the 20th century. That was one of many changes in the law enforcement culture that significantly reduced the number of annual line-of-duty deaths referred to by some as the “Officer Survival Movement of the ’80s.”

Body armor technology has improved dramatically since then, and that is especially true over the last few decades. Advances in technology have made the equipment we have access to today safer and more functional than ever.

Changing ThreatsViolence against law enforcement ebbs and flows in cycles, generally about two generations apart – think about the 1880s, the 1930s, the 1970s and today. During the “flow” periods, we see an increase in the number of ambushes on cops and a correspondingly increasing sophistication in their execution. During these periods of increased violence, criminals tend to become more educated on topics like body armor.

In the past, handguns comprised a higher percentage of firearms threats against officers. In recent years, with terrorism and active shooter events, we’re seeing an increase in the use of rifles against cops. Offensively, savvy agencies are outfitting their officers with rifles, or at least allowing their officers to deploy rifles themselves. Defensively, officers are outfitting themselves with rifle-rated hard armor plates.

Officers need to be well equipped on both sides of the ball to effectively engage threats and save lives. Not only is the “wait for SWAT” mentality increasingly discouraged, but there is a growing push for single-officer response.

Changing ResponseAs the threats have changed, so have our responses. Generally, the most important adjustment law enforcement can make to a changing threat is in tactics. However, we have learned that equipment can make a life-saving difference. As technology has evolved over the last 20 years, so has body armor manufacturing. Emphasis has been placed on comfort, flexibility, edge-to-edge protection and multiple-hit protection.

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Changing StandardsMuch of the improvement in body armor has come about due to changing standards put in place by the National Institute of Justice, which oversees body armor ballistic standards. That’s where we get the “levels” or more formally, “types,” with which we’ve become familiar: Level IIIa, Type IIIa, etc.

These levels of protection can be located in NIJ Standard 0101.06 for Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor. The current standard requires that body armor manufactured after March 1, 2017, bear the “Listed Model” mark to be considered NIJ-compliant.

Changing Materials Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and ceramics have proved to be great advancements in hard armor. Polyethylene is a high-strength synthetic fiber that is woven tightly into multiple layers that actually catch the bullet, while steel depends on deflection.

When a bullet strikes steel, violent fragmentation occurs. That’s called spalling. and it’s dangerous to the wearer. (More on that later.) Polyethylene is more expensive than steel, but almost three times lighter. Mobility is imperative in an armed encounter, so the weight of your armor can make a big difference. Additionally, unnecessarily heavy armor can cause injuries and long-term health issues.

Even if our focus was only fiscal, lighter armor just makes more sense. A piece of ceramic added to the strike surface helps to slow and tumble the bullet, enhancing the effectiveness of the polyethylene. It also further reduces the possibility of spalling.

Multiple Hit ProtectionOnly recently has the multiple hit protection of hard body armor seen significant advancement. Ceramic is an effective and commonly used material in rifle-rated armor.

Armor manufacturers use three basic types of ceramic: alumina oxide, boron carbide and silicon carbide. Alumina oxide is much thicker and heavier than boron carbide or silicon carbide, which are

more expensive. Alumina oxide also tends to allow more spalling than boron carbide or silicon carbide, but much of that is dependent upon what material the armor is encased with.

Polyurea coatings provide a much better anti-spall effect than armor wrapped in fabrics. Polyurea also serves to protect the armor from the elements. Without some sort of crack-mitigating technology, a ceramic plate is greatly compromised by the first round it takes, so much so that it loses its effectiveness throughout the plate. Crack-mitigating technologies localize the ceramic degradation of a given impact, thereby affording a multi-hit capability of the armor plate.

New developments in ceramics are on the horizon that may further improve body armor in weight, thickness and performance.

Edge to EdgeIf I buy a 12-inch panel, I expect a full foot of ballistic protection. That isn’t always the case with body armor, especially in armor that contains ceramics. Many manufacturers’ products have a border of non-ballistic material around the edges to protect it against cracks due to drops or just normal use.

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The NIJ generously allows test shots to body armor 2 inches from the edge and does not require bullet strikes closer than 2 inches apart. A shot close to the edge of ballistic armor is more likely to penetrate. This begs the question: How much protection do those products with a border around the edges actually provide?

ComfortAs armor becomes more lightweight and flexible, it becomes more comfortable and therefore more likely to be worn. That isn’t the only component of comfort, though. The shape of the armor is often an overlooked quality. Vests that curve to conform well to the user’s torso are less likely to rub or shift.

Safety is also enhanced with a properly fitted set of armor, as it does not allow gaps in protection near its edges. Most products in this category are either completely flat or have few cursory bends, which does not provide a reasonable level of comfort or coverage. A new multi-curve design called QuadCurve greatly mitigates this issue and makes armor much more comfortable and wearable.

ATS Armor Provides Rifle-Rated ProtectionATS Armor offers several options for ballistic protection that exceeds NIJ’s current standards for multiple hits and edge-to-edge protection. ATS was founded in 2012 by military veterans and seasoned

industry vendors who have made it their mission to make law enforcement personnel safer in the field.

The company has demonstrated its dedication to this mission through its advances in ceramics manufacturing, their ergonomic QuadCurve design and NIJ certification testing. All new ATS Armor plates bear the NIJ Listed Model mark, certifying them NIJ-compliant. Further, to help individual officers purchase the company’s rifle-rated armor, they offer an Individual Officer Payment Plan over three or six months.

I had an enlightening conversation with Hans Marrero and Brian Beckwith of ATS. Both are decorated combat veterans with substantial emotional investment in protecting our protectors. Ninety minutes and six pages of notes later, I came away with a greater understanding of ballistic armor than I thought possible. I also had an uncomfortable realization of how much I didn’t know before. I’m certain I’m not the only administrator out there with that information deficit.

Educate yourself on what officers need to protect them from today’s threats. Decision-makers must weigh cost versus benefit in purchasing life-saving equipment. That means simultaneously caring for the needs of their officers and being good stewards of the taxpayer’s money. Learning more about recent advances in technology and manufacturing may help make these purchasing decisions a little easier.

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Quality, reputation and protection are just a few characteristics to considerBy Warren Wilson Purchasing law enforcement gear can be a heavy burden. Supplying officers with the wrong emergency equipment can have dire consequences. That is never truer than in the case of body armor.

When I first got into law enforcement in the 1990s, there was only one decision a chief had to make about body armor: yes or no. Thankfully, this equipment is no longer considered optional. Today, the decision-maker has a much more difficult task in choosing which armor is right for their officers among a sea of options.

Every Five YearsThere has been some contention among law enforcement executives as to why body armor needs to be replaced every five years. Obviously, it would be less costly to replace armor once a decade. A lot of factors affect the service life of body armor, including humidity, temperature and the extent of its use.

In particular, polyethylene fibers must be woven extremely tightly to produce the desired effect. An expert in the field told me that those fibers are like guitar strings. They stretch over time, even without external forces. Partially due to this natural

BODY ARMOR: How to choose the right tool for the job

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stretching, the manufacturers of polyethylene fibers only warrant their product for five years. That is the standard industry-wide, and there is no reasonable excuse not to replace armor every five years.

Purchasing ConsiderationsWhere does a decision-maker begin when purchasing body armor? Between the options of threat levels, stab resistance, hard armor, soft armor, etc., the task can be daunting. As with any important purchasing decision, copious research is imperative.

First, do your homework on the National Institute of Justice website. NIJ can educate you on testing standards, what the threat protection types are – and more specifically, what brands and models meet or exceed their standards. Products that bear the “NIJ Listed” mark are certified under Ballistic Resistance Standard 0101.06, which is the current standard.

Certified vs. CompliantNext, look for a manufacturer (among those listed by NIJ) with a strong reputation for quality and who is willing to help you find the best equipment for your needs. This task can be trickier than it seems at first blush.

For example, you might see armor that is advertised as “NIJ Compliant under 0101.06.” That sounds good, but proceed with caution. That intentional play on words means the product was not subjected to a full NIJ certification process such as a conditioning period, drop test, backface deformation testing or shot with any specific ammunition.

Armor that is “NIJ Certified” has been tested under all the necessary protocols. These include a conditioning period of 10 days of hostile temperatures and humidity levels, after which the armor is dropped onto a hard surface. It is then X-rayed for cracks to identify potential structural failures and shot locations. Only then is it shot by ammunition of a specified caliber and velocity. After being shot, the test media behind the armor is measured for deformation. If it measures more than 44 millimeters, it fails.

As you can see, it’s more complicated than just stopping bullets. Why don’t some armor manufacturers get their products certified by NIJ? The obvious reason is it costs more money to do so, and it’s difficult to design a plate capable of passing these rigorous standards.

Reject any product labeled “test modified by manufacturer” or “independently tested” in its advertisement. Another semantical pitfall to look for is the NIJ standard itself. As of this writing, Ballistic Resistance Standard 0101.06 has been the current standard for several years. There is still armor available for purchase that was certified or

WHY MIAMI-DADE CHOSE ATS ARMOR

The Miami-Dade Police Department selected ATS Armor plates for ballistic

protection after firearms training staff shot an ATS rifle-rated plate with four rounds of .308, eight rounds of 7.62mm by 39mm and 28 rounds of .223. None of the rounds penetrated

the armor. With the help of Law Enforcement Trust Fund grants, they

outfitted most of the department with rifle-rated armor and hope to expand

the program department-wide.

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compliant under the now-obsolete 0101.04 standard. Purchasing armor marked with the “NIJ Listed” decal avoids that problem.

The Spalling HazardWhen searching for “hard” armor, which is essentially armor that is effective against rifle threats, remember that steel armor only deflects bullets. It does not catch them, unlike woven ballistic fibers, thus posing significant hazard to the wearer or persons nearby.

Spalling has killed and maimed too many police officers and military personnel. Spalling is what happens when a high-velocity bullet strikes something hard. Fragments have to go somewhere. Anti-spall coatings are not effective on steel, but they are effective on composite plates that contain ceramic and polyethylene and are properly constructed. The videos of these tests can be persuasive when judged solely on their own, but beware.

3 Necessary Characteristics of Body ArmorWhat are the key characteristics of effective body armor? Here are three:

1. Ballistic protection. 2. Light weight. 3. Comfort.

We’ve covered ballistic protection already, but weight and comfort cannot be ignored. If armor isn’t light enough or comfortable enough, it will not be used. ATS founder Hans Marrero says he saw heavy and unwieldy ballistic protection left behind on missions when he served in the military overseas.

“If it is heavy or uncomfortable enough to be a liability, cops will not use it,” Marrero said. “ATS uses a QuadCurve design, which greatly enhances the user’s comfort and the armor’s coverage.”

Perform a Threat AssessmentAfter your budget is established, figure out what specific threats the officer wearing the armor will

face. Gear must be mission-specific. Obviously, armor purchased for SWAT deployments will be different from that of detectives or patrol officers.

In the case of SWAT officers, hard armor is mandatory. SWAT folks have a high likelihood of facing rifle threats but are much less likely than regular patrol officers to need the ability to run. For routine patrol, officers will need something lighter and more flexible. Some agencies, like the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office, have begun providing all patrol officers with supplemental armor rated for rifle protection. Likewise, Miami-Dade PD will soon have a rifle-rated active shooter kit in every patrol vehicle. This equipment can be quickly donned when the likelihood of rifle threats increases, such as in the event of an active shooter. This practice is all but mandatory in today’s environment.

Why All Officers Need Rifle-Rated Armor Study the pictures of active shooter events. You’ll see uniforms, suits and whatever else off-duty cops were wearing when they got the call. When the balloon goes up, uniforms are irrelevant. Everyone responds.

In addition to everyday soft body armor, every single officer should have access to some type of rifle-rated armor, be it primary or supplemental. There is simply no equipment more important to law enforcement officers today. We must assume that officers responding to active shooter calls will face a threat that will render most daily-wear soft vests useless. Hard, rifle-rated armor will give officers a chance for survival if struck by rifle fire as they fulfill their role of first responder.

Body armor is simultaneously expensive and priceless. Police officers’ lives are not measured in dollars, but sadly budgets are. Every penny spent on a line item is a penny not spent elsewhere. There’s no getting around that. Where to prioritize those pennies is always a challenge for administrators. Still, we can all agree this is an area where we simply cannot skimp. Our culture must change to embrace new body armor technology for the sake of our protectors.

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RESOURCES

LEARN MORE ABOUT ATS ARMOR READ MORE ABOUT BODY ARMOR FIND GRANTS FOR BODY ARMOR

NIJ COMPLIANT PRODUCTS LIST WATCH A VIDEO ON PROPER PLATE PLACEMENT TO PROTECT

VITAL ORGANS

WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT THE GREATEST THREATS TO OFFICERS

ATS Armor blends over 150 years of business, law enforcement and tactical expertise into a culture that is unique to the armor industry. Their mission is to defend life through the design, manufacturing and application of the most advanced armor in the world. Together with parent company Achilles Technology Solutions LLC and research and development company ATS MER, ATS Armor has emerged as a leading force in the development of advanced materials. With over 48 issued patents, ATS and its subsidiaries are positioned to be the leader of tomorrow in the world of ballistic protection.

ABOUT ATS ARMOR