How Safe Are Bulletproof Vests?
Law enforcement officers are often exposed to dangerous situations each day, making bulletproof vests a necessity for them.
Colonel Jon Briggs of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says vests are not exactly bullet proof but instead bullet resistant.
“Each vest is rated at a different level from levels 2-A to 3-A,” says Briggs.
Each level indicates the level of which the vest is protective. For tactical vests two plates that are placed inside the vests make all the difference.
“It’s obviously some sort of plastic ceramic material. The older ones were ceramic-solid ceramic,” says Briggs.
The newer plates weigh around 5 pounds versus the older plates that weigh around 15 pounds. Both offer the same amount of protection on the chest and back.
“A number of years ago the vests were big and bulky and heavy and hot sweaty and it was just not a good product to wear and nowadays they are a lot more comfortable to wear,” says Briggs.
Montgomery County has a mandatory wear policy for vests which cost around $680 each. They are replaced every 5 years are custom made to fit each individual officer.
“The Department of Justice offers grant funding each year for departments to provide vests for their officers and that money is made available to agencies that really can’t afford the vests when they can,” says Briggs.
Briggs says the investment is worth every penny.
“Some agencies will actually share a vest between officers, here in Montgomery, we issue every officer their own individual vests and it’s really for their protection,” says Briggs.
