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Issues in Criminal Justice and Technology
home > Unit 2: technology in Criminal Justice practice
Technology to protect police personnel (continued)
soft
body armor
- After DuPont's Kevlar dominated
the field, more choices in mid-80s: Allied Signal introduced Spectra Shield, molded
from layers of unidirectional fibers coated with resin. Lighter,
more flexible, and not subject to the sun's damage, as was Kevlar
-- now used by more vest makers..
- DuPont working on a new "puncture-resistant"
material for correction offers' vests; Allied Signal working
on alternatives.
Goal: lighter, more comfortable, and still ballistically sound body armor. Some use Spectra, some Kevler, some hybrid combinations, as well as
"new stitching patterns, new strapping combinations, new carrier materials, and new pocket combinations. Soft body armor is today as important as a police officer's weapon. Its ability to save lives is undisputed." According to DuPont's analysis, "of the 74 officers feloniously killed in 1992, 56 ..were not wearing vests. Thirteen of those deaths could have been prevented had the officer been protected by body armor, according to the analysis. The company asserts that there has never been a vest that failed to stop the caliber of bullet for which it was rated. Vests have, however, been pierced - and officers killed - when the vest did not stop a higher caliber bullet for which the vest was not rated."
Some officers don't want to wear it. " When body armor first arrived on the policing scene, the traditions and machismo of the profession were its biggest impediments. Officers scoffed at its ability to stop bullets; others, usually veteran officers, imagined that their many years on the street somehow made them impervious to bullets. There were complaints that the vests were uncomfortable, especially in hot weather. And there were those who believed that gunfights would never happen in their sleepy little towns."
"As part of its testing and evaluation efforts, the NIJ's Technology Assessment Program Information Center routinely tested body armor, and published a list of results, detailing which models passed and which ones did not. In 1987, the NIJ modified its standard and, suddenly, vests began to fail at an alarming rate of about 60 percent." Vest manufacturers accused the NIJ of creating an impossible-to-meet standard. NIJ stood by the test. "Manufacturers whose vests failed joined with the Personal Protective Armor Association and wrote their own standard.", NIJ recommended that agencies only buy NIJ-certified vests, but had no legal authority. "DuPont, fearing lawsuits brought on by officer deaths, considered halting sales of Kevlar to manufacturers who refused to construct the type of vests that would comply with the new NIJ standard."
Today, NIJ still uses the standard: says any lower one would result in inferior vests. Most manufacturers have complied, and most police agency procurement guidelines require that vests comply. "Still, in mid-1996, echoes of the old debate began to reverberate throughout the police community. 'Without regulatory authority, (vest manufacturers) can essentially ignore the NIJ,' said one veteran administrator. But NIJ officials say they do not want regulatory authority, that they agency's focus is on product testing to meet standards setby the police profession, not a governmental entity. Its objective lab tests act like a kind of Consumer Reports for law enforcement, dispassionately reporting the results. The NIJ says it wants to act as an information clearinghouse and an agency that funds and supports technological development. It has set standards for police vehicles, handcuffs, weapons systems, patrol car tires, all without getting into debates about regulatory authority." Currently working on new standard, through its National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Centers,working with National Armor Advisory Board.
- DuPont working on a new "puncture-resistant"
material for correction offers' vests; Allied Signal working
on alternatives.
- After DuPont's Kevlar dominated
the field, more choices in mid-80s: Allied Signal introduced Spectra Shield, molded
from layers of unidirectional fibers coated with resin. Lighter,
more flexible, and not subject to the sun's damage, as was Kevlar
-- now used by more vest makers..
- Other NIJ personnel protection research:
- Smart Gun, weapon that can only be fired by its owner or other designee.
- back seat airbag to immobilize unruly prisoner while still letting them breathe.
- personal locator transmitter to be worn on collar of a police uniform to provide a constant location and communication ability between the officer and the central command station. Hands-free communication, and, in case of injury: command would know his exact location.
- Remote Control Information System , developed for military medics, giving full-color video, two-way audio, and incorporates GPS technology for officer location, as well as a system to monitor the officer's vital signs. "For police, it would allow supervisors to monitor an unfolding incident, fix on the officer's location, and monitor his vital signs in case of injury.
- Technical Information Network (TIN), offers free, 24-hour access to all of the agency's information sources and any other service that is of value to law enforcement.
- (Search database of Justice Technology Information Network for other research projects).
