Surviving a Shooting; Your Guide to Personal Body Armor (Video)

• NCJ Number: 206414
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 0 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-IJ-CX-K002
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Handbook

Annotation

This federally sponsored video presents facts on personal body armor, specifically what it is, what it can and can’t protect against, how to select armor, and how to wear and care for the armor properly.

Abstract

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this video provides facts about personal body armor utilized by public safety personnel, specifically what it is, what it can and can’t protect against, how to select it, and how to wear and care for it properly. In addition, the video teaches how the NIJ tests and validates body armor performance to ensure the best possible protection. Armor is intended to absorb energy from the bullet and disperse the impact of the bullet. There are more than 90 manufacturers worldwide using 1 or more man-made fibers which is why body armor standards were developed by the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES). These standards assist in the selection of body armor; the classification standards of body armor range from Type 1 protection to Type 4 protection. NIJ standards assure product testing to meet a specific threat and provide guidelines for proper selection. The video presents the following overall recommendations regarding body armor: (1) body armor is designed to protect against specific threat levels; (2) routine wear of body armor is not designed to protect against rifle fire or sharp edged weapons; (3) armor selection needs to be made with regard to the most likely level of threat; (4) proper care of body armor is necessary to maintain its effectiveness; and (5) the NIJ standards should be used to choose the ideal armor for ones needs. In summation, armor is not bullet-proof; training and experience are an officer’s best defense during an armed confrontation.