Update of the Body Armour Purchase and Replacement Protocol

Abstract : Several research programs have been undertaken in recent years to investigate the performance of aged soft body armor used by Canadian police forces. The original aim of this work was originally to inform police about the suitability of in-service armor, but it became rapidly clear that any system of checking aged armor would require starting with good quality new armor of known performance. Testing of field-returned body armor revealed many unexpected situations where armor allowed bullet perforations at standard velocities. In the meantime, the latest version of the ballistic body armor standard, NIJ-0101.06 was released in 2008, introducing a higher degree of design and production consistency in body armor. Based on elements from this most recent version of the ballistic standard, a method for further ensuring production quality has been proposed via a lot acceptance test, followed in the future by an aged armor test against that lot. Practitioners of this protocol will enjoy reassurance that they have supplied their officers with quality products. They may further enjoy economic benefit by extending the use of that armor into the future, provided it passes laboratory testing.