Modern Challenges and Threats vs. PPE for Correctional Officers & Jailers

Understanding the ever-changing needs of today’s corrections officer is a matter of ensuring he or she goes home safely to their families at the end of their shift each day. While dangers to corrections officers have always been there, the evolution and creativity of inmates and the deliberate assistance from outside prison walls have made officers’ jobs much harder than years past. The use of drones to deliver contraband inside a correctional institution, for instance, was unheard of five years ago, where now it is an everyday threat and concern. The danger of increasingly violent inmates has pushed correctional institutions to look for more innovative and reliable protective measures to keep their personnel safe. These measures include the use of body armor solutions (or personal protection equipment) that are robust, flexible and offer comfort and the right fit.

Protecting officers both inside and outside jail walls means deploying both stab and ballistic body armor solutions. Offenders are increasingly creative in their manufacturing of devices such as knives, shivs, spikes, clubs, and even makeshift firearms. We can’t help but see the numerous headlines that point to the ongoing ballistic threat to corrections staff, in addition to the risk of edged blade and spike weapons. Institutions must now give greater consideration to combo armor packages, as a result of more dynamic environments where threats are emerging in more unforeseen packages than before.

Comfortable and robust

Today’s cutting-edge vests protect COs from spike and shanks, yet while protection is paramount, they also offer comfort and wear-ability that are just as important to the officer. Let’s face it, if the CO is not comfortable then they will not wear the armor which could save their life. Innovative solutions leverage revolutionary woven aramid materials that provide the optimum protection against correctional threats, without using any metallic structure. These high-performance materials, combined with state-of-the-art designs, help maintain the armor’s comfort by staying lightweight and flexible, while still providing Spike 1, 2 and 3 level protection.

Multi-threat packages

If we look at the corrections officer overseeing inmates inside a facility, they are at greater risk for assault with a makeshift weapon (for instance, a shank made of plastic or a sharpened piece of wood, metal or glass) and would have a greater need for stab/slash-resistant armor.

On the other hand, when it comes to the corrections officer involved in court, facility, and medical transports, it is crucial that their body armor offer edged blade/spike, ballistic and blunt force trauma protection. From the perspective of blunt force protection, we think first of the officer’s vest stopping a projectile and protecting them from internal injury created by the impact energy, but there have also been several cases over the last few years where transport officers have been involved in vehicle crashes and their armor saved them from serious injury. We have bailiffs in courts who are being attacked, disarmed and then shot with their own duty weapon. In law enforcement, there’s the saying that an officer should have protection from his/her own carry and the same maxim should apply in corrections. Transport officers run the risk of being ambushed while transporting inmates to and from facilities. These are everyday risks our correctional officers need protection from.

Next-generation, dual-purpose armor solutions are available today to safeguard officers from Level IIA / Spike 3, Level II / Spike 2, and Level IIIA / Spike 3 threats while maintaining comfort. Multiple options for concealable and overt style carriers fit the needs of today’s corrections officer. Further, custom sizing is available so each officer has their own custom fit vest, or departments have the option to choose Alpha sizing (S, M, LG, XL, etc.) to outfit multiple officers. Along with soft ballistic and spike protection, the most advanced systems offer “Up Armor” capabilities which allow the wearer to place a hard armor plate inside a pocket attached to their concealable or overt carriers. Semi-rigid polyethylene armor plates offer protection in Ballistic Level IIIA, Spike Level 1 and Edged Blade Level 1. Rigid Titanium plates offer protection in Spike Level 1 and Edged Blade Level 2. Spike Packs offer protection in Spike Levels 1, 2 and 3. 

When purchasing body armor, corrections departments must consider the types of threats their officers will likely face and choose body armor with suitable capabilities to protect against those threats.

Based on data it collected in 2012, the Bureau of Justice Assistance reported armor vests were directly attributable to saving the lives of at least 33 law enforcement and corrections officers. At least 14 of those 33 vests had been purchased, in part, with funds from the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program.

With more and more technology changes being made in developing multi-threat systems, so will there be shifts in industry standards. The National Institute of Justice is currently re-evaluating its standards for ballistic, stab and strike resistance technology. Ultimately, the most effective multi-threat body armor will leverage cutting-edge materials and advanced engineering to maximize functionality for higher performance and minimize weight for increased comfort. This will continue to have a tremendous effect on body armor being worn by the corrections community and greater confidence officers will return home safely at the end of the day.  

Steve Murphy is the Tactical Channel Manager at Armor Express and has served the Michigan community in Law Enforcement, Tactical, Corrections, and Fire/EMS over the last two decades. His career started as a licensed paramedic/firefighter, transitioning to certified corrections officer, then moving to Law Enforcement, serving as a tactical team member (SWAT) and tactics/firearms instructor. Murphy had the honor of being a team member of the Grosse Pointe/Harper Woods Special Response Team while working for Grosse Pointe Shores Public Safety; the DeWitt Charter Township PD; and the Clinton County Special Operations Team where he spent a number of years as the Team Commander. Murphy also served as a Deputy/Detective for Tri-County METRO Narcotics, and finished his law enforcement career as a Deputy for the Clinton County Sheriff Office. Murphy currently serves as an adjunct board member for the Michigan Tactical Officers Association.