New Body Armor Testing Standards in First Update in 15 Years
Body armor can mean the difference between life and death for law enforcement officers as they do their jobs, especially with firearms being one of the biggest dangers officers face in the line of duty.
Now the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) published updated standards for the testing of ballistic-resistant body armor designed to protect the torso from bullets, in the first update to its NIJ Compliance Testing Program since 2008.
The NIJ Compliance Testing Program “ensures U.S. law enforcement and corrections agencies know what body armor meets minimum performance requirements before they buy” and is looked at as a critical resource, especially among cash-strapped law enforcement agencies who may be looking to purchase less expensive versions of armor.
The new standards “now unify ballistic protection levels across a range of ballistic-resistant products used by U.S. law enforcement,” wrote NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne.
To come up with the new standards, NIJ worked with the U.S. Army, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), ballistic laboratories, body armor manufacturers, and others to produce updated test methods and laboratory practices.
Included in the new standards are:
· Improved test methods for armor designed for women.
· More rigorous testing of soft armor panels.
· Revised testing of hard-armor plates, including curved plates.
· References to 10 standardized test methods, laboratory practices, and terminology guides.
Timeline for New Certifications
The first pieces of body armor certified under the new standards are expected to be available in late 2024. Law enforcement officers can still wear their current armor, which are expected to remain certified under the old standard through the end of 2027.
NIJ is the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) research, development, and evaluation arm. NIJ has been publishing body armors standards for 50 years and has updated the standards that make up its NIJ Compliance Testing Program six times.
Manufacturers submit their products to the voluntary testing program. The products are then tested by independent, NIJ approved labs. If approved, the product is placed on the Compliant Products List. There are currently more than 400 products on that list.