Impact of Personal Body Armor on Law Enforcement Officer Performance

Carruth, D. W., Babski-Reeves, K., & Wilhelm, M. (2009). Impact of Personal Body Armor on Law Enforcement Officer Performance. NIJ Conference 2009. Arlington, VA.

Personal body armor is a key component of law enforcement officer equipment providing life-saving protection for officers. This research has investigated the impact of two personal body armor designs on law enforcement officer performance during multiple tasks. The results indicate that both concealable soft body armor and external tactical body armor impact law enforcement officer range of motion and user acceptance. Continuing research will further examine the impact of body armor on law enforcement officer performance and work to identify a comprehensive test battery for armor ergonomics.