S&T Lab ‘Focuses’ on Body Armor for Women in Law Enforcement
Law enforcement in the United States remains a male-dominated profession. According to recent reports published by the Department of Justice (PDF, 670KB, 44pgs.) and Statista, less than 13% of full-time officers are female. So, it stands to reason that the ballistic-resistant body armor worn by law enforcement officers in the field has traditionally been designed for the male build. As the number of women entering the field continues to rise, so too has the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) that is designed for the female physique to ensure women are as safe, efficient, and comfortable as men while on the job.To get more news about
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Who better then to study the best body armor on the market for these women who put their lives on the line every day? And who better to revisit the operational requirements for design, form, fit, and function? That’s right: women in science.
Fun fact: did you know that it was a woman—Stephanie Kwolek, a chemist for DuPont—who invented the technology behind Kevlar, the synthetic fiber commonly used to make the bullet resistant vests that protect vital organs from ballistic threats during incidents involving firearms? And in September 2019, it was five women from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) who embarked on a project to assess the capability, usability, deployability, maintainability, and affordability of various makes and models of female body armor.
The development of performance requirements and test methods for ballistic-resistant body armor for women was identified as a priority by the Interagency Board, a collaborative panel of emergency preparedness and response practitioners,” stated Kris Dooley, NUSTL program analyst. “Females are expected to perform the same duties as their male counterparts, so it’s important to ensure that their body armor is optimized to offer the same level of protection.”
To start, NUSTL’s System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program convened a focus group of female first responders from several states to obtain their expert recommendations for evaluation criteria, product selection, and operational scenarios. Because the responders use ballistic-resistant body armor in daily operations, their input is critical to ensure that the right models are tested, and that they are assessed in true-to-life environments. All of their initial input is available now in NUSTL’s recently-published focus group report, which will serve as the basis for evaluating several PPE models during an upcoming assessment.
“I was very impressed by how women in law enforcement are able to handle many of the difficulties caused by wearing body armor that is mainly designed for men,” said NUSTL chemist Karin Decker. “They are often uncomfortable and not fully protected while on the job. Many of the women purchase their own better-fitting and more functional armor, which may or may not meet specifications for ballistic protection.”
