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Personal protective equipment

Body Armor Performance Standards and Compliance Testing

NIJ has been setting voluntary body armor standards since 1972. The NIJ standard is the only nationally accepted standard for the body armor worn by law enforcement and corrections officers. NIJ...

National Institute of Justice Body Armor Challenge: How Long Does Body Armor Really Last?

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Challenge Winner (Phase II)

In the U.S. Department of Justice’s first ever Challenge competition, the winning team for NIJ’s Body Armor Challenge was from Purdue University’s school of Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering.  The team received a $25,000 prize for proposing a concept for testing the...

NIJ FY 13 The Impact of Safety Equipment Modalities on Reducing Correctional Officer Injuries

Closing Date
NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research on differences in safety equipment modalities; that is, policies and practices among correctional agencies regarding what safety equipment staff may use, when and how it may be used, and how those modalities affect officers' physical safety. For the purpose of this solicitation, safety equipment is defined as equipment used by correctional officers to protect them from assaults and to...