By Steve Russ
RUSS Innovations, Inc.
When a bullet strikes body armor, it is caught in a web of very strong fibers. These fibers absorb and disperse the impact energy that is transmitted to the vest from the bullet, causing the bullet to deform, or "mushroom." Additional energy is absorbed by each successive layer of material in the vest, until the bullet has been stopped.
A major problem in law enforcement and corrections/military communities is the deterioration of body armor’s ballistic-resistant capabilities due to improper care and maintenance. In most cases, this problem is not caused by the manufactures of body armor, but is, in fact, caused by the men and women who wear this life saving device, or by their respective department heads/commanders who allow negligent — and potentially life-threatening — care and storage to continue.
The five most common ways to improperly care for your body armor could be fatal mistakes:
1. Using a wire hanger with the ends bent up.
2. Using a wood hanger, which is stronger than, but just as destructive as a wire hanger.
3. Using a clamping slacks hanger — when it clamps down on the ballistic panels, it crushes the ballistic fibers of the vest and allows no air to circulate inside the vest panels.
4. Tossing the body armor into the bottom of a locker — this not only creates permanent folds and creases, but also prevents ventilation and prohibits the body armor from completely drying.
5. Tossing the body armor in the trunk of your vehicle — very destructive because of the high temperatures and humidity in this enclosed area.
Manufacturers suggest that when not in use, body armor should be laid flat, dried on one side and flipped over and dried on the other. This was the only method that prevented damage to the body armor and allowed the ballistic fibers to completely dry. But a new device makes this task easier than ever.
The Flak Vest Hanger™ is ideal because the user can hang the body armor, which saves space and allows it to dry twice as fast as lying flat. The Flak Vest Hanger™ is fully adjustable for all sizes and fits both male and female armor. It addresses each and every improper method that causes damage, and is backed by a twenty-five year warranty.
Body armor manufacturers provide the user with instructions on how to care for their body armor. However, very few end-users or administrators take the time to read this important information. Upon interviewing thousands of officers and administrators around the country, I have found that less then 10 percent have read the care and use instructions.
The percentage is even lower when it comes to people’s understanding of the warranty, in terms of what it means for the body armor’s durability and effectiveness. Several high-ranking officials in federal, state and local governments have even gone as far as to say they didn’t care how the body armor was maintained since their agency could not be sued.
In other words, it wasn’t "their problem" if the men and women who wore it won’t take care if it. In my opinion, this says very little for their knowledge on the warranties of the body armor and it says even less for these department heads on the value that they place on the lives of the men and women who serve under them.
Today, most men and women and their department heads who wear body armor believe that their body armor will stop a projectile, as long as it was designed to stop a specifically rated caliber. This is a life-threatening misconception shared by those whose very lives depend on it. Improper care and maintenance may have caused deterioration to the ballistic fibers and, as a result, decreased the ballistic threat level that it once met. Just because it was designed to stop a certain round when it was made, doesn’t guarantee that it will continue to do so if it is not properly treated and maintained.
At one time, several manufactures of body armor provided a ten-year warranty with newly purchased vests. Today, only a couple manufacturers provide more than a five-year warranty. This is not because the ballistic material only lasts five years — in fact, it can — but because, once the body armor is out of the control of the manufactures, it is solely up to the police officers and their department to ensure the proper care and maintenance of the unit, and this can’t be vouched for.
One of the most frequently asked questions the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) receives is "how long does body armor last?" Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer. Every piece of armor will eventually need to be replaced. Body armor is not a one-time buy.
For example, if a department changes its service weapons or ammunition, the armor worn by its officers must be shown to protect against the new weapons systems. If an agency determines that the ammunition threats that they face have increased, upgrading to a higher level of protection may be appropriate. An individual’s body weight may change over time, and armor that no longer fits or is uncomfortable is likely not to be worn.
Since no two pieces of armor are exposed to identical wear or care, each must be evaluated individually. Age alone does not cause body armor’s ballistic resistance to deteriorate. The care and maintenance of a garment, or the lack thereof, have been shown to have a greater impact on the length of service life. Armor that is 10 years old and has never been issued may be perfectly acceptable for use, provided that the rated level of protection is still appropriate for the typical threats faced. Conversely, 2- or 3-year-old armor that has been worn regularly and cared for improperly may not be serviceable.
Both the DuPont testing and a 1986 study by NIJ22 (Ballistic Tests of Used Body Armor) found that age alone does not degrade the ballistic properties of armor. Armor manufactured in 1975 that remained in inventory without issue exhibited ballistic-resistant properties identical to those at the time of manufacture.
No two people are built alike and no two people sweat or perspire the same amount. This is also true for how they take care of their body armor. Body armor manufacturers know this and their limited warranty is the only method that they have to somewhat insure to any degree that the ballistic materials used in the construction will perform as designed. Remember, anything won’t last if you don’t take care of it and body armor is no different.
Body armor that is improperly maintained and stored via "homemade methods" places one's life at unnecessary risk. I have always asked the question, "Would you go into a gun fight if you knew that your weapon may not work or the ammo was bad?" Each and every time I ask this question I get the same answer: "No."
I then ask, "Then why would you wear body armor that may no longer provide you with the safety level needed to perform your job if you do not have to?" Yet day after day, our loved ones wear poorly cared for body armor into battle, mistakenly thinking it will save their lives.
In short, don’t play Russian Roulette with your life by not caring for your body armor. Protect the device that protects your life so that you can come home to those who love you.
You can obtain more information on body armor by reviewing the Selection and Application Guide to Personal Body Armor NIJ Guide 100-01 (Update to NIJ Guide 100-98).
About the Author:
The author of this article Steve Russ is a retired Police Officer from the State of Michigan and has studied the deterioration of body armor for the last twenty-five years. Officer Russ provides expert testimony in several fields of law enforcement and has been working toward educating the men and women who wear body armor of these risks. RUSS Innovations, Inc.
Editor's Note: Many of the police officers listed on the website are former military.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Researched and edited by retired Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, the website lists nearly 600 state and local police officers who have written books. There is no charge to be listed on the website; the only rule for inclusion is that the author completed their probationary period with a state or local law enforcement agency.
Each police officer listing contains a brief biography of the author, a listing of their books and a convenient link to their book listings on Amazon.com. The website can be searched by state, agency, police officer and topic of the book. Book topics include tactical, leadership, academic, biography, etc. Moreover, there are special sections such as books written by women police officers and police officers who given an inside account of police corruption.
While the bulk of the current listings are state and local police officers, there are special sections on federal law enforcement officers, police civilians and police officers from other countries who have written books. Agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the Federal Bureau of Investigation have had sworn personnel author books. Furthermore, international authors come from Australia, Canada, England and India.
The website is constantly updated and continuing to grow in size, scope and purpose. It has blossomed into a platform for police officers to contribute law enforcement related poetry, prayers, short-stories and articles. The articles on the website range from leadership issues to terrorism related. Each article is written by a police officer and focuses on the job of a law enforcement official.
For further information about Police-Writers.com you can visit the website at www.police-writers.com or contact the editor, Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA at editor@police-writers.com.
By Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour, USA
American Forces Press Service
June 25, 2007 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Adin Salkanovic won't spend a full 15 months in Iraq like the rest of the soldiers in his unit. Still, he knows all too well about the sacrifices of war. The platoon sergeant with 1st Cavalry Division's Troop B, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, volunteered to rejoin his unit in Iraq after recovering from multiple gunshot wounds suffered in Buhriz, Iraq, March 6.
Salkanovic, 27, was leading a dismounted, eight-man reconnaissance team when 15 to 20 insurgents wielding grenades, sniper rifles and AK-47s started attacking from three different directions.
Pinned down on the roof of a building, Salkanovic and his squad returned fire. In a span of 15 minutes, Salkanovic was struck by three enemy bullets: one to his left index finger and shoulder and one apiece to his right shoulder and bicep. Two more enemy rounds nearly struck Salkanovic, but were stopped by his body armor - "the two that would have killed me," he called them.
Salkanovic's team managed to fend off the attack, eventually killing two insurgents. If not for the actions of one of his soldiers, Cpl. Cory Walter, Salkanovic is sure he would have died that day, he said.
"Corporal Walter is pretty much responsible for me being alive right now."
Salkanovic, whose wounds caused him to lose two liters of blood, was evacuated to Germany and later moved to Fort Hood, Texas, to recover. After two months of healing and rehabilitation, he was ready to head back to Iraq. He rejoined his unit, which is based at Forward Operating Base Normandy, May 15.
"As soon as (my doctor) cleared me to come back, I was on the first flight out," said Salkanovic, a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Although returning to Iraq was entirely his choice, Salkanovic said, the decision was not up for debate. Rejoining his unit was his goal from the start.
"It's like a family - especially being a platoon sergeant. You get attached to the soldiers," he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Curt Cashour is assigned to Multinational Corps Iraq Public Affairs.)
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
June 22, 2007 – The reserve components are vital to the military and its ability to fight the war on terror, so it's essential that they're properly managed and compensated, the service personnel chiefs told the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves yesterday. The chiefs shared insights into better ways to integrate Guard and reserve members into the total force and to ensure the reserve components get the resources and manpower they need.
"The current environment, and I predict, the future, requires the seamless integration of the active and reserve military, civilian employees and support contractors into a cohesive and rapidly tailorable force," Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said in his prepared statement.
He noted that almost 382,000 reserve-component soldiers have mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight the terror war, and that more will be called as the war progresses.
"Never before in the history of the United States have members of the Air Force reserve components played such a pivotal role in the defense of our homeland and our national security objectives around the globe," agreed Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel.
More than 10,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members are currently on duty at home or abroad, he reported.
Just as the military depends on these troops to carry out its mission, the services' personnel chiefs agreed that it needs to ensure that they and their families receive the compensation and support they deserve.
That's particularly important for the Army and Marine Corps as they increase the size of their forces, but no less critical for their sister services as they reshape for the future, they said.
Rear Adm. Edward Masso, commander of Navy Personnel Command, said that as the Navy continues reducing the size of its force, it needs to do so in the smartest way possible.
"We need to apply both small adjustments and major course corrections in order to shape our force into a smaller, more effective and cost-efficient total force," he said in his prepared remarks.
These changes will have far-reaching implications for the force, he told the commission. "What we do today - the decisions we make - will dictate our situation tomorrow and determine what we are capable of in the future," the admiral said.
Lt. Gen. Ronald S. Coleman, the Marine Corps' deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, called individual Marines the most effective weapon in the Corps' arsenal. "Accordingly, our manpower and personnel plans must support the accession and retention of this vital resource," he said.
Ultimately, the long-term success of the reserve components depends on managing them in a way that meets troops' and their families' expectations and needs, as well as operational requirements, he said.
The personnel chiefs' testimony reflected comments offered the previous day by Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
During his June 20 appearance before the commission, Dominguez urged more flexibility for reserve-component members that enables them to better balance their military and civilian obligations and encourages them to serve.
Dominguez joined the service chiefs in endorsing a "continuum of service" that enables military members to shift between the active and reserve components, more full-time support for Guard and reserve units, expanded opportunities for joint training and qualifications and a more competitive compensation package.
The independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves was established under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 to recommend any needed changes in law and policy to ensure that the Guard and Reserves are organized, trained, equipped, compensated and supported to meet U.S. national security requirements.
By Steve Russ
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