Skip to Content
Last modified by superadmin on 2021/05/13 19:09
Hide last authors
Ryan Larkin 1.1 1 **Washington County Sheriff's Office**
2
3 **ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION**
4
5 Policy Manual
6
7
8 Volume: AF
9
10 Health and Safety
11
12 Chapter: 06
13
14 Personal Protective Equipment (Body Armor)
15
16
17 Replaces and/or Supersedes:
18
19 None
20
21 Published:
22
23 03/09/2011
24
25 Review Date:
26
Ryan Larkin 2.1 27 05/13/2021
Ryan Larkin 1.1 28
29
Ryan Larkin 2.1 30 Sheriff Cory C. Pulsipher
Ryan Larkin 1.1 31
Ryan Larkin 2.1 32 Undersheriff James Standley
Ryan Larkin 1.1 33
34
35 **__TABLE OF CONTENTS__**
36
Ryan Larkin 1.2 37 AF 06_101 Definitions
Ryan Larkin 1.1 38
Ryan Larkin 1.2 39 AF 06_102 References
Ryan Larkin 1.1 40
Ryan Larkin 1.2 41 AF 06_103 General
Ryan Larkin 1.1 42
Ryan Larkin 1.2 43 AF 06_104 Issue
Ryan Larkin 1.1 44
Ryan Larkin 1.2 45 AF 06_105 Use
Ryan Larkin 1.1 46
Ryan Larkin 1.2 47 AF 06_106 Care and Replacement
Ryan Larkin 1.1 48
Ryan Larkin 1.2 49 AF 06_107 Training
Ryan Larkin 1.1 50
51
Ryan Larkin 1.2 52 **AF 06_101 __DEFINITIONS__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 53
54 1. WCSO: Washington County Sheriff's Office
55 1. PCF: Purgatory Correctional Facility
56 1. Field Activities: Duty assignments and/or tasks that place or could reasonably be expected to place officers in situations where they would be required to act in enforcement rather than administrative or support capacities.
57 1. Weapons Post: A position assignment or task that requires the officer to carry a firearm.
58
Ryan Larkin 1.2 59 **AF 06_102 __REFERENCES__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 60
61 1. National Institute of Justice:
Ryan Larkin 2.1 62 11. standard 0101.06.
Ryan Larkin 1.1 63 1. Utah Counties Insurance Pool:
64 11. WC-III.E.
65
Ryan Larkin 1.2 66 **AF 06_103 __GENERAL__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 67
68 1. Policy:
69 11. The WCSO shall regulate the selection and use of personal protective equipment.
70 11. The WCSO shall maximize officer safety through the use of body armor in conjunction with the practice of prescribed safety procedures.
71 11. Acceptable body armor vests include those which meet or exceed the minimum protective standards prescribed by the National Institute of Justice. Body armor shall provide front and back torso coverage (side panel protection optional).
72 11. Body armor should be concealable under the official uniform shirt.
73 11. Body armor shall allow full range of motion and shall not interfere with ability to perform assigned duties.
74 11. An officer in a weapons post may be reassigned to a non-weapons post if the officer does not possess approved body armor in good condition.
75 11. Body armor shall be labeled and clearly identify the:
76 111. Manufacturer;
77 111. Model;
78 111. Threat level protection;
79 111. Date of manufacture; and
80 111. Care instructions.
81 1. Rationale:
82 11. Personal protective equipment may have a wide range of quality or usefulness depending on the brand, model, or style. Thus, it is important for satisfactory standards to be established.
83 11. While body armor provides a significant level of protection, it is not a substitute for sound, basic safety procedures.
84 11. Body armor is considered one of the most critical pieces of equipment for an officer.
85
Ryan Larkin 1.2 86 **AF 06_104 __ISSUE__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 87
88 1. Policy:
89 11. Body armor shall be issued to officers in Administrative Division and Patrol Division weapons posts.
90 11. Body armor shall not ordinarily be issued to officers in Corrections Division positions. However, officers will be allowed to supply and use their own body armor as long as they meet the requirements herein.
91 1. Rationale:
92 11. Officers in Corrections Division positions are less likely to encounter situations involving firearms due to the high-level security procedures and facility restrictions.
93
Ryan Larkin 1.2 94 **AF 06_105 __USE__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 95
96 1. Policy:
97 11. Uniformed, weapons post officers shall wear body armor while on duty and participating in field activities. Officers may wear body armor at all other times.
98 11. Use of body armor shall be mandatory during:
99 111. Routine traffic, patrol, or law enforcement assignments;
100 111. Non-routine traffic, patrol, or law enforcement assignments whenever reasonably possible;
101 111. Routine or scheduled prisoner transportation assignments;
102 111. Non-routine or unscheduled prisoner transportation assignments whenever reasonably possible.
103 11. Officers shall wear only WCSO-approved body armor while on duty.
104 11. Officers may be exempted from wearing body armor when:
105 111. An agency-approved physician determines that an officer has a medical condition that would preclude wearing body armor; or
106 111. The officer is involved in undercover or plain clothes work that his/her supervisor determines could be compromised by wearing body armor; or
107 111. The Sheriff (or designee) determines that circumstances make it inappropriate to mandate wearing body armor.
108 11. Officers who are allowed not to wear body armor while on duty should maintain quick access to it (e.g., stored in trunk) in case of an emergency.
109 1. Rationale:
110 11. Law enforcement officers are assaulted everyday.
111 11. Body armor is designed to defend an officer against lethal force.
112 11. While wearing body armor cannot guarantee safety in every situation, safety risks are much greater without body armor.
113
Ryan Larkin 1.2 114 **AF 06_106 __CARE AND REPLACEMENT__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 115
116 1. Policy:
117 11. Officers shall be responsible for ensuring that their body armor is worn and maintained as required.
118 11. Issued body armor that is worn or damaged shall be replaced by the WCSO. An officer may be required to reimburse the WCSO for the cost of replacement body armor if the cause for replacement was due to misuse or abuse by the officer.
119 11. Supervisors shall be responsible for ensuring that body armor is worn and maintained as required by this policy through routine observation and periodic, documented inspections.
120 11. Annual inspections of body armor may be conducted for fit, cleanliness, signs of damage, abuse, and wear.
121 11. Officers shall routinely inspect body armor for signs of damage and general cleanliness.
122 11. Each officer shall be responsible for cleaning personal body armor in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
123 11. Officers are responsible for the proper storage, maintenance, and care of body armor in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
124 11. Officers are responsible for reporting damage or excessive wear to their supervisor.
125 11. The WCSO replaces body armor periodically according to manufacturer’s instructions. If problems with fit arise because of interim changes in body size, it is the wearer’s responsibility to replace or otherwise maintain proper fit until the next periodic replacement.
126 1. Rationale:
127 11. Regular inspections may help detect damaged body armor.
128 11. Damaged body armor may not be as effective.
129 11. Proper care may help ensure the effectiveness of body armor.
130 11. Dirt and perspiration may erode ballistic panels.
131
Ryan Larkin 1.2 132 **AF 06_107 __TRAINING__**
Ryan Larkin 1.1 133
134 1. Policy:
135 11. The WCSO shall provide training on the proper selection and use of personal protective equipment. Training shall be coordinated by the WCSO Training Unit. The WCSO Training Unit shall be responsible for:
136 111. Ensuring that every officer issued body armor is trained in the proper donning and caring of their body armor;
137 111. Monitoring technological advances in the body armor industry that may necessitate a change in body armor;
138 111. Assessing weapons and ammunition currently in use and the suitability of approved body armor to protect against those threats;
139 111. Providing training programs that demonstrate body armor's stopping power under actual firing conditions and that emphasize safe and proper use;
140 111. Maintaining statistics on incidents where armor has or has not protected officers from harm, including traffic accidents.
141 1. Rationale:
142 11. Body armor may not be effective if not properly donned or cared for.
143 11. Body armor may not be as effective if not up-to-date with current technology.
144 11. Improper application of equipment may be more detrimental than the lack of equipment due to a false reliance upon the equipment.
145 11. Officers must be properly trained in order to know and understand how to properly select and use personal protective equipment.