Ballistic-Resistant Vest Standards - Interview at the 2012 NIJ Conference

• NCJ Number: 239715
• Date Published: June 2012
• Author(s): Deanna Rivard
• Length: 1 page
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Standard; Interview

Annotation

This video and accompanying transcript capture comments on a bullet-proof vest program by Deanna Rivard of the Minneapolis Police Department (Minnesota) at the 2012 NIJ Conference.

Abstract

Under the bullet-proof vest program, a law enforcement agency with a mandatory vest policy can apply to the Federal Government for reimbursement of a portion of their funds for their officers to be fitted for a vest that will be issued to them. ASTM International is joining with the U.S;. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in developing a standard for the fit and measurement of body armor. Ms. Rivard went to the first meeting, where the most wide-ranging complaint was that officers did not wear their vests because they did not fit properly. The NIJ approached the ASTM to develop a fit and measurement standard. In the mean time, wearing a vest, even if it does not fit properly, should be considered part of an officer's uniform that increases his/her chance of surviving a gun shot.