Body Armor Standards for Bullet Proof Vests - New NIJ 0101.06

The NEW NIJ 06 Standards for Body Armor are now in place! These standards do not invalidate the previous NIJ 0101.04 or 2005 Interim Standards. The goal of the new standards in body armor is to improve performance so that officers receive adequate protection, provide adequate protection against threats likely to be faced in the next decade and to provide assurance that body armor will provide protection through the life of its warranty.

For an excellent, quick video and other information regarding body armor and testing standards, from a nationally recognized third-party source go to www.JustNet.org.

These standards are specific to body armor. Some products do not qualify as body armor and can not be certified to the standard. However, the ballistic materials used are tested to the NIJ standard and are the same ballistic resistant materials used in body armor.

Ballistic-resistant body armor has been widely available for use by law enforcement personnel for more than 30 years. The dramatic reduction in officer homicides following the introduction of body armor attests to the protection it provides. This success story extends far beyond protection from handguns—more than 3,000 lives have been spared, including cases in which body armor prevented serious injuries to officers from other types of assaults or accidents.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has developed standards for body armor performance through its Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES). The standard for ballistic resistance of body armor was first developed 36 years ago and has since gone through five revisions. In September 2000, NIJ introduced its standard for stab and puncture resistance of body armor.

Body armor is tested as a part of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) voluntary equipment testing program to determine compliance with the NIJ standards, and NLECTC disseminates those test results and other pertinent information to the law enforcement and corrections communities. (reprinted from www.justnet.org).