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Law Enforcement FAQs

What will body armor stop?

In the U.S. all personal body armor is engineered to match the ballistic resistance of police body armor as specified in the U.S. NIJ Standard and should be clearly labeled with its "threat level" or "protection level." Concealable body armor for everyday wear is designed to protect against low- and medium-energy handguns typically used in unexpected assaults.

For more information, go to How Body Armor Works

How does Kevlar® work?

Soft body armor made with Kevlar® works by "catching" a bullet in a multilayer web of woven fabrics. The engaged fibers absorb the energy of the impact and disperse it to other fibers in the fabric weave. These woven fabrics are strong enough to perform, while offering the additional advantage of being more comfortable to wear than traditional, plastic-based shield products. Multiple Threat Protection (MTP) uses different mechanisms to stop different threats, such as fragments, knives and ice picks.

For more information, go to Facts About Body Armor.

What should I buy?

Since most on-duty deaths and injuries occur during routine assignments, we suggest that an officer buy as much protection and coverage as he or she is willing to wear. Types of weapons being stolen, confiscated and used to commit crimes in your region are strong indications of the threats you might face in your particular community. Low-energy handguns, such as the "Saturday night special," are used in only a small fraction of those incidents where the use of concealable body armor might prevent a tragedy. Officers clearly need protection from low- to medium-energy handguns, .22 rimfire rifles and shotguns. Many law enforcement practitioners believe the trend toward higher threats continues to increase with the availability of the auto-loading pistol and high-capacity magazines. About one out of every five officers feloniously slain is killed with his or her own weapon or with his or her partner’s weapon. Therefore, compatibility of an officer’s own weapon and ammunition with his or her body armor is a fundamentally important consideration when selecting a vest. If the service weapon is upgraded over time, the new weapon and ammunition need to be checked and compared with the current vest technology. Statistics on the types of vests purchased under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act in 2004 were approximately 20% level IIA, 65% levelII and 15% level IIIA.

For more information, go to Purchasing body armor.

When should I upgrade or replace my vest?

Body armor technology continues to advance rapidly. Current technology provides better ballistic performance than that available a few years ago. New garment designs afford greater protection with thinner construction, lighter weight and improved flexibility. These technological advancements mean that officers and issuing agencies have more choices than ever. They can either gain additional protection from a garment of the same weight or receive the same protection in a lighter-weight, more flexible and more comfortable garment. For determining vest replacement, the appropriate protocol for testing a ballistic vest includes testing representative samples after the third year of wear. Live testing or demonstrations of soft body armor should never be conducted unless proper training, testing and safety procedures are followed. After careful consideration, many departments have chosen to replace their vests every five years or so.

For more information, go to When to Replace .

What is the IACP / DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club®?

The IACP / DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors’ Club® is an organization of officers who have survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries through the use of personal body armor. More than 3,000 law enforcement officers are members of the Club, all because they were wearing their body armor.

For more information, go to IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar® Survivors' Club .