How to Promote Law Enforcement Safety From Bullet-Proof Vests to Other High-Performance Tactical Gear

Police officers are assaulted on a regular basis while in the line of duty. Every year over the past decade, for example, government data indicates that there have been almost 60,000 assaults on officers. Many of these assaults have unfortunately lead to officers losing their lives.

The Leading Causes of Officer Deaths

Over the past ten years, motor vehicle accidents have been the leading cause of officer deaths. Gunshots are the second leading cause. More than 33% of law enforcement deaths occurred due to officers sustaining gunshot wounds. In 2016 alone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s data revealed that 66 law enforcement officers died as a result of criminal actions. Firearms were used against 62 of these officers, and 33 of them were murdered with their own weapons.

Promoting Law Enforcement Safety With Tactical Gear

For the past 30 years, 3,000 law enforcement officers’ lives have been saved due to wearing armor vests. In 2013, for instance, a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey revealed that 71% of local police departments required their officers to wear these vests at all times when on duty. It’s important to note that when officers aren’t wearing armor vests, their risk of dying is 3.4 times higher if they receive a gunshot wound to their torso.

In some instances, however, body armor hasn’t been strong enough to withstand certain types of powerful ammunition. Due to this, many torso gunshot wounds have proven to be fatal. Even though they were wearing body armor, 20% of the officers died after being shot in the torso. This is due to their body armor not being capable of standing up to this stronger ammunition.

Essential Tactical Gear

When you’re serving the community as a law enforcement officer, you realize the importance of having effective tactical gear. In addition to bulletproof vests, there are other types of gear you may need to have or upgrade. This includes tactical body armor such as abrasion resistant body armor. Since you also engage in regular target practice to maintain and enhance your skills, reactive shooting targets can assist you with attaining these goals.