Safariland Blog - Hard Armor

Urban Shield 2009

heather.fraser@baesystems.com (Heather Fraser) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:21:00 -0500

The San Francisco Bay Area was the setting once again this year during the 2009 Urban Shield exercises and Safariland was there! Over 27 teams including Boston PD, the French Nationals “RAID” team and the FBI participated in the events which aim to assess overall tactical, fire and EMS skills in a series of real-life scenarios such as Maritime Interdiction, Tubular Extraction, Hostage Rescue and Active Shooter.

Through the generosity and support of Sheriff Ahern and Lt Gary Berge, Safariland’s Creative Services and Marketing teams were able to visit various sites and witness the simulations live as they unfolded. With our POC Deputy Fred Hamilton and members of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, this unique exercise, which is supported from the Bay Area SUASI Program and funded by Homeland Security Grants, gave all of us an opportunity to see our products in action and how our customers' use them under the most extreme conditions.

Overall, we made it to 13 of the 24 urban exercises over the two-day event and walked away with a new appreciation of whats it's like to be in our customers' shoes as they make the critical decisions that protect us all and keep us safe. For more information on Urban Shield, you can visit them at urbanshield.org.

Bulletproof Vest Partnership now Accepting Applications for Body Armor Funding

pennington.way@baesystems.com (Pennington Way) — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:41:00 -0500

So, your department needs new body armor but budgets are a bit tight? The U.S. DOJ’s Bulletproof Vest Program (BVP) may be the perfect solution! On May 13, 2009, the FY 2009 BVP program began accepting applications.

The program is a DOJ initiative designed to provide a critical funding resource for state and local law enforcement to purchase body armor and related equipment. Since 1999, more than 11,900 jurisdictions have participated in the BVP Program, with $173 million in federal funds committed to support the purchase of an estimated 450,000 vests.

Here a few things you should know about the BVP program:

BVP provides 50% of the funding for your department’s new body armor
FY 2009 applications must be submitted online by 5:00pm Eastern, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Departments can only apply for NIJ compliant armor…not individual officers
Concealable vests, tactical body armor, and stab-resistant armor are eligible
K-9 armor and helmets are not eligible
Departments receive their funding approximately three to four months after the application period closes

To get the full scoop on the BVP program and FY 2009 body armor funding opportunities, go to:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bvpbasi/home.html

If your department is interested in participating, do not wait until the last minute to register and prepare your application! If you are new to the application process, this is particularly important.
Also, contact your local equipment distributor or Safariland representative and ask about BVP program vest specials and NIJ .06 compliant models. They are a wealth of information and can help you better research and navigate the process.

How To Check Your Shield's Performance

dan.mcneil@baesystems.com (Dan McNeil) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:36:00 -0500

You should evaluate your shield's performance prior to use, even if your agency purchased it for you.

Performance refers to a shield’s ability to stop NIJ standard* rounds/velocities, as well as rounds/velocities beyond the standard’s requirements (special threats). You should always request a copy of the manufacturer’s shield test results. I also run through this mental checklist:

Do I know if my shield was tested against NIJ standard* rounds/velocities?
Do I know if it was tested against special threats which are of concern in my region?
Where on the shield were these rounds shot (body, viewport, light/handle system)?
Was the viewport of my shield tested? And does it provide the same level of protection as the body of my shield?

Of course these are not all of the questions you should consider, but they are certainly a start to gaining the confidence you need and should have in the ballistic shield you are using. This is my first of a series of posts on shields. Next week, we will expand upon the various levels of protection. If you can’t wait till then, drop me an email at dan.mcneil@baesystems.com.

*The NIJ standard for testing ballistic shields is NIJ Standard-0108.01. This is a testing only standard and test protocols may vary depending on the approved NIJ lab in which the shield was tested.