Every bulletproof vest for law enforcement and corrections officers should provide a balance of protection and comfort. For both men and women, if body armor does not fit correctly and provides adequate coverage, it can hinder safety, mobility, and effectiveness of the officer. Hence, designing and building armor for female officers can present issues of particular concern.
Historically, female police officers have been wearing the same body armor as men. This doesn’t make any sense. It stands to reason that women would need additional chest protection. Women’s vests have lacked the kind of cup-style support that is typically built into their bras and swimwear. It is now commonly accepted that females need body armor made to fit the female form. Therefore, bulletproof vests molded for women should be tested on shaped or formed armor as backing and this is what “Formed Armor Testing” is all about.
The idea is to ensure that the testing protocol for both Flat and Formed Armor Testing ensures better protection for both men and women end-users. Testing used to be the same for body armor designed for each gender. Manufacturers are now required to test each design separately according to gender. It goes without saying that female officers ought to have body armor that caters for them too. Women must have additional trauma security for their chest, and for that, their vests should have real bra style cup, like what’s on a one-piece swimming suit.
Fortunately, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is in the process of updating its standards for stab-resistant and ballistic-resistant body armor. How to ensure that female-designated models of body armor provide adequate protection is a primary concern for both the stab-resistant and ballistic-resistant standards revision efforts. NIJ Standard 0101.07 has now introduced a special test protocol for female body armor, as discussed above. This has been a long time coming. Finally, body armor is being designed that specifically gives women the fit and added protection they need.
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