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Body armor

Updating Body Armor Standards to Protect Police

May 2024

A bullet can strike a police officer in a blink, so their body armor must be proven to work. Feeling more under fire than ever, the law enforcement community is raising the standards for ballistic-resistant police body armor to stop more rifle bullets, like those often used by active shooters, in an effort led by OJP’s National Institute of Justice.

Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, NIJ Standard 0123.00

NIJ has released two addenda to the standard. These addenda include revisions to NIJ Standard 0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats. Users of NIJ Standard 0123.00 should incorporate the revisions in this addendum as a part of the NIJ Standard. 

NIJ plans to continue close coordination with ballistics laboratories and other stakeholders during the implementation...