This brochure explains how a criminal justice agency can ensure that the body armor it orders for use by its personnel complies with the minimum standards established for body armor developed by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
First, note whether the armor model being considered has the NIJ Mark of Compliance on the label. Then ask the vendor to provide the model designation. A vendor may use a model marketing name for a particular product or product line. After determining the model designation, find it on the NIJ Compliant Products List (CPL). This can be done at website http://www,policearmor,org, which is accessible through JUSTNET.org. Only body armor that has been submitted to the NIJ Compliance Testing Program (CTP) to determine whether it meets the NIJ minimum standards required for the wearer's protection should be purchased for an agency's personnel. Body armor manufacturers voluntarily submit their models to NIJ to be tested for compliance with NIJ standards. The current NIJ standard for body armor is numbered 0101.6 and can be found on the previously cited website. Only NIJ can authorize manufacturers of body armor to use the NIJ Mark on its tested product. NIJ can take legal action against the unauthorized use of this mark on a body armor product.