PPE for Law Enforcement

In May of 2006, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Science and Technology and CTC Inc., Public Safety Technology Center (PSTC) collaborated to continue research on the personal protective equipment needs of law enforcement officers.

The goals of the project were:

1. To build upon the previous work of NIJ and the PSTC, and to further define the personal protective equipment (PPE) needs and requirements for law enforcement officers responding to and functioning in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, and;

2. To obtain all of the functions and or tasks that must be performed by law enforcement officers while wearing CBRN protective ensembles.

Our approach to the project was three-pronged, consisting of an internet-based literature search, an independent survey, and a practitioner focus group.

We conducted a literature search, seeking to identify articles and reports focused on PPE for law enforcement. Twelve (12) articles were identified as meaningful to understanding PPE requirements for the law enforcement community. Of the twelve (12) articles identified for this analysis, less than half specifically addressed law enforcement’s special PPE requirements.

Many of the research reports highlighted that the need for body, face/eye, hand and head protection is consistent across the law enforcement, fire and other first responder disciplines. However, the focus group findings reveal unique PPE needs within the law enforcement discipline.

An independent email survey was distributed to fifteen (15) PPE subject matter experts, in advance of the focus group meeting. The PPE surveys were distributed via an encrypted Internet protocol. Thirteen (13) individuals responded. The survey contained forty (40) questions in seven (7) different categories:

• Demographics
• Current Equipment
• Compatibility
• Interoperability
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
• Ergonomics
• Durability

A copy of the survey instrument is provided in the report.
Our focus group panel selection was based on technical expertise and professional experience. The panelists consisted primarily of law enforcement officers; however, corrections, the military and the private sector were also represented. We invited fifteen (15) subject matter experts to participate. The goals of the focus group were to:

Obtain all of the functions and or tasks that must be performed by law enforcement officers while wearing CBRN protective ensembles and

There must be universal PPE standards where appropriate, but at the same time, PPE standards must address specific differences in task requirements between law enforcement and other first responder disciplines. Information was gathered on requirements in the following categories:

The summary conclusion emerged that law enforcement has unique requirements that are driven by specific missions within the PPE environment. This conclusion differs from the existing literature research, where law enforcement’s distinct needs were significantly less reported upon then those of other first responder disciplines.

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