Ballistic-resistant body armor has been widely available for use by law enforcement personnel for more than 30 years. The dramatic reduction in officer homicides following the introduction of body armor attests to the protection it provides. This success story extends far beyond protection from handguns—more than 3,000 lives have been spared, including cases in which body armor prevented serious injuries to officers from other types of assaults or accidents.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has developed standards for body armor performance through its Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES). The standard for ballistic resistance of body armor was first developed 36 years ago and has since gone through five revisions. In September 2000, NIJ introduced its standard for stab and puncture resistance of body armor.

Body armor is tested as a part of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) voluntary equipment testing program to determine compliance with the NIJ standards, and NLECTC disseminates those test results and other pertinent information to the law enforcement and corrections communities.