Vogue Vests: Adapting Tactical Wear for CSI Needs

• NCJ Number: 226189
• Journal: Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 10,12,14,16,17
• Author(s): Paul Laska
• Date Published: January 2009
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the practicality and features of various tactical vests for crime-scene-investigation (CSI) personnel.

Abstract

Tactical vests designed with pockets of various numbers, sizes, and placement of pockets are intended to enable the wearers to carry various tactical equipment to remote sites and other sites inaccessible to vehicles. In the law enforcement field, they are particularly useful for CSI personnel, who require access to various evidence-collection and evidence-recording equipment at crime scenes, which can be located in places difficult or impossible to reach with a motor vehicle. A new generation of tactical vests emerged under the adoption of the MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) system developed by the U.S. military in the late 1990s. The MOLLE system’s versatile Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) is based on 1-inch-wide horizontal strapping, in rows 1-inch apart, secured every 1.5 inches to the backer. In order to secure an item to the PALS strapping, an attachment device is weaved alternately through the backing (vest, backpack, etc.) and the pouch or other PALS-based accessory. This results in a solid, quiet attachment system that allows the user to adapt the vest to specific needs. This article describes the features of MOLLE products from Camelbak, 5.11 Tactical, Tru-Spec, and Maxpedition. These suppliers make vests of special relevance to the crime scene investigator. Users must choose pouches that are suited to the equipment to be carried. For criminalists’ tools, manufacturers are offering an expanding variety of pouches that work well with the odd sizes and shapes of forensic tools. For CSI personnel, pouches can be prepared and attached to vests awaiting a deployment. When the call is dispatched, the investigator puts on the appropriate vest, ready to work efficiently when he/she reaches the crime scene.