In our daily life, the police are often deployed in various environments, including possible hostile and dangerous environments, constantly risking their lives to maintain everyone’s life and property safety.
In such a dangerous industry, the police must also do everything possible to protect themselves to ensure that they can safely return home to reunite with their families every night. This requires the preparation of appropriate equipment and bulletproof vests so that the police can perform their duties safely and effectively.
We have many kinds of bulletproof vests and other protective equipment, which can meet a large demand and budget. Let’s learn about it today.
When selecting equipment, as an officer, it is very important to understand the details of the equipment carried to the battlefield. Not all police departments have the resources or availability to buy the most suitable equipment for you. Your personal safety is too important to be satisfied with buying less.
Instead, you should spend the budget in the right place and achieve the most perfect effect with the most appropriate budget. Especially for your protective equipment, you must know what kind of protection you will receive, And their level of effectiveness. When you consider your next investment, be sure to consider it comprehensively. Let SBA discuss this issue with you today.
Know How To Assess Your Potential Risks
According to your PD jurisdiction and the type of people you contact every day, the first thing you should do is to assess whether the threat you may face is mainly hit and stab or fatal attack.
Except for special equipment under special circumstances, your daily equipment should be sufficient to protect you from any potential threat you may face, but it will not damage your mobility or cause you to unnecessarily exceed your budget.
What Level Of Protection Do You Need
After identifying the threats you may face, you can correctly evaluate any equipment you encounter and determine whether it is worth investing. There are many factors to consider when looking at protective vests. First, you are looking for the protection level of the vest. These levels are set by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and range from level 1 (to protect the wearer from the most basic small caliber bullets) to level 3 and level 4 (the highest protection level except the special armor for high caliber bullets and armour piercing bullets)
Choose the most suitable bulletproof level from these levels. It is the most correct choice to purchase the protective articles you need according to this bulletproof level, which can not only buy the protective articles you need, but also help you save your budget to the greatest extent.
In general, class I is not considered to meet the NIJ standard, and this bulletproof grade product is not very effective in most expected cases.
Classes II to IIIA are designed to be effective against small calibre munitions, and higher levels are more effective at higher speeds and closer ranges. Vests of these grades are usually composed of soft armor plate and aramid or other soft materials.
Third and fourth level vests have an additional effect on larger bullets from firearms such as submachine guns or sharpshooter rifles. They can consist of soft armor plates or hard armor plates. For more details on the NIJ standard and the bullet types at each effective speed level, you can read our more in-depth articles or visit the NIJ website.
You should also consider whether you need a vest or back plate. They all have unique advantages you should look for. Depending on your situation, law enforcement officers usually use bulletproof vests that are easier to hide. There are few problems with bulletproof vests in uniforms, but they can’t provide enough protection like large bulletproof vests.
Large bulletproof clothing has various slots on the clothing to install bulletproof plates, allowing you to change the protection level if necessary. They may be bulkier and sometimes more hidden, but in general, they provide more complete protection, allow various accessories and provide more functionality.
Equipment other than bulletproof vests
Depending on whether the protection level you decide is sufficient, other standards for your equipment will begin to be in place. You will want to find some functions on the vest, which are very helpful for your daily work. The most important of these functions is comfort. Don’t wear an uncomfortable vest, because even if it’s not all day, you’ll wear it most of the time. It also needs to allow you to use your entire range of motion and not be too heavy when you are asked to run, cross obstacles or fight close.
Other features that are less important but can prove useful can also be decisive for the specific vest you have been focusing on.
Adjustable buckles are always welcome because other equipment you carry or any other equipment you may wear may change. Most vests are equipped with MOLLE system and a series of Velcro straps, which can connect various other equipment to be carried, such as first-aid materials, firearms or ammunition bags and other special equipment. A special feature that is often overlooked is the quick release system, which allows you to quickly take off your vest in an emergency. If your vest is caught by some potentially dangerous objects (such as a moving car), which is unlikely to happen in your career, the rapid release system may become the difference between life and death.
On the whole set of protective equipment, the most noteworthy thing is the bulletproof clothing. Because it has a larger protection range and higher price, many people will pay a lot of attention to the bulletproof clothing and ignore other protective equipment. However, sometimes, it is often some small equipment that will save your life in times of crisis.
In addition to bulletproof vests, bulletproof helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and even communication equipment, they can play a decisive role in specific situations. Therefore, don’t just look at bulletproof vests. Sometimes you should consider them comprehensively. Don’t spend all your budget on a bulletproof vest with ultra-high protection level, ignoring other necessary equipment.
Baseline
The last factor that affects your choice of equipment is usually the budget. If you find a vest with the right level of protection and have most (if not all) of the functions you want, the price is usually worth investing.
Nothing is more valuable than your life and your ability to go home from work.
Whether you are looking for a hidden vest or a license plate, you can try to communicate with your police department to see if they have the equipment you need, or if there are any programs that can help you buy the equipment you need.
If you can’t contact the police department or those who are sensitive to the budget, you can contact our safety body armor, and we will recommend you a suit of armor that is most suitable for you according to your budget and needs!
