Evaluating the Impact of the NIJ Body Armor Program

Application number 2012-90472-IL-IJ was awarded competitively to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago in response to a proposal submitted to the FY12 solicitation: NIJ-2012-3106 - Evaluating the Impact of the NIJ Body Armor Program. The NORC application was fully funded. NORC is teamed with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in this effort.

With this solicitation, NIJ sought proposals for funding to conduct an evaluation of the impact of NIJ's body armor research program on law enforcement policy and practice in the United States beginning from the program's inception in the early 1970s through today. Among the questions that NIJ is interested in this research addressing are:

* How has the NIJ body armor program changed policing policy, practices, or strategies (e.g., training, situational risk assessment, response, procurement)?

* What impact has the NIJ body armor program had on the body armor industry and the subsequent design, quality, and consistency of armor sold to law enforcement agencies?

This evaluation is expected to inform NIJ strategic planning as it moves its body armor research program forward.

nca/ca