11 It's Not a Swimming Suit
Going for a dip in soft body armor can be a bad idea. Some will come through just fine. Others could lose some of their ballistic performance. "If a vest does become wet, water can act as a lubricant and that can help a bullet penetrate a vest," says Provenzano. PPI and other manufacturers sell vests that have been treated with water repellent materials. Some ballistic materials such as Dyneema and SpectraShield are water resistant. In fact, they are used in the marine industry. If you work around water, it would be a good idea to find out what will happen to your vest if you have to take a dive.
12 Kevlar is Not the Only Ballistic Fiber
The first viable bullet resistant fiber was DuPont's Kevlar. So for a long time people called bullet resistant vests, "Kevlar." Today, Kevlar is still a very popular bullet resistant fiber, but there are now several dozen ballistic fibers and many of them are used in the same vest. Currently, the most popular woven fibers for armor are Kevlar and Twaron. Popular polyethylene materials include Goldflex and Dyneema. Another popular ballistic material is SpectraShield. It is a hybrid of woven and laminate with fibers encased in layers of polyethylene, i.e. plastic. Each of these fibers has its pluses and minuses. For example, wovens are more flexible than laminates, but they are heavier.
13 Your Vest is Essentially Clothing
Most vests used by American law enforcement are assembled here in the United States by garment workers. They are sewn together with quilt stitches and tack stitches and other techniques just like your favorite shirt. They are inspected in the same way as your underwear by veteran garment workers who look for sewing defects. "We have a group of people who sew the vests together who have been doing it for 14 or 15 years," says PPI's Provenzano.
14 What is a Trauma Rating?
When a bullet strikes a bullet resistant vest, the kinetic energy of that bullet has to be dispersed across the vest's fibers as rapidly as possible. The quicker it's dispersed, the less trauma the wearer receives from the impact. Still, a handgun bullet is stepping out at anywhere between 800 feet per second and about 2,000 fps. So it will push the fabric inward as it slows down. The bulge that results at the rear of the ballistic panel is called backface deformation. The bigger that bulge, the more trauma the wearer will experience. This trauma rating is determined by placing the panel up against a tray of clay and shooting a bullet into the panel. The tester then measures the impression in the clay.
15 If You Are Shot in Your Armor, You Will be Able to Fight Back
There are numerous cases of officers who have been shot in their body armor. Most say the experience is like being hit with a hammer. Usually, the result is a nasty-looking bruise caused by backface deformation. But no one has died from this trauma. It's unlikely that it will even incapacitate you. Many officers shot in their armor have not missed a beat, shot back at their attacker, and neutralized the threat. And that was before the advent of the latest vest materials, which are designed to minimize the effects of blunt impact.
16 Vests Are Rigorously Tested
There is a persistent rumor in the law enforcement community that manufacturers reinforce the spots shot by the NIJ before the vests are certified. The testing protocol does not permit manufacturers to cheat in this manner.
17 How to Prevent Panel Sag
When your ballistic panels sag, your vest is not as comfortable and you may be losing protection. The best way to prevent this problem is to rotate your carriers. Most vests are sold with two carriers. Safariland recommends that you have three. By rotating carriers, you can prevent the Velcro straps from wearing out and prevent wear of the carrier fabric that can cause your panels to sag.
18 Stay Fit or Get New Armor
Soft body armor is not a ballistic-resistant version of stretch pants. If you pack on five percent to 10 percent more body weight than you had when the vest was fitted, you need a new vest. If you should lose weight, you may also need a new vest.
19 Your Carrier Offers No Ballistic Protection
We call ballistic resistant vests "vests," but the vest part isn't what will save your life. It's what goes into the vest. Never go on duty wearing just the carrier. It offers no more ballistic protection than your favorite shirt.