Phoenix Police: Officers' bulletproof vest failed test

CBS5AZ,COM ^ | Feb 17, 2012 | Jadiann Thompson

[BOBWADE]

PHOENIX (CBS5) - Authorities in Phoenix are asking for immediate action after they found that hundreds of protective vests worn by Valley cops may not stop bullets.

Phoenix Police officer Anthony Daley, 30, was seriously injured when a bullet pierced through the bottom edge of his ballistic vest in November. A similar vest was tested Thursday and the results released today.

[BOBWADE]

Looks like there are some defective vests out there. Make sure your local LE is aware. Any freepers currently wearing this body armour? Better get it checked.

[BOBWADE]

http://www.armorreport.com/
another story on the same subject.

[mosaicwolf]

What kind of ordinance was used at the scene or during the tests. This makes a huge difference.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

"Bullet proof" is a misnomer, they are only bullet resistant in varying degrees.

I didn't see anything in the article about what round of ammo was involved.

[momtothree]

“what round of ammo was involved”.

I am not that knowledgeable... isn’t there “armor piercing” bullets? (I thought I have read articles about bad guys using this type of bullet in order to kill law enforcement if they wanted/had to).

[PapaBear3625]

Their armor came from “Custom Armor Technologies”. It may have been certified by NIJ, but there’s something to having cops buy their own armor instead of being issued one from lowest bidder.

[riverrunner]

Thats what is missing what cailber and the round that was used most any center fire rifle and some pistol rounds will defeat a lot of soft armor.

A hit on the every edge could just fold around the vest and continue on. Not enough information here.

[mazda77]

Howdy Sniper!

I had some dealings with BAE who also make vests and there is a testing procedure they use supplied by the DoD. I would assume anyone who would have been in charge of the procurement knew of these standards and insomuch made sure the appropriate testing verifications were given. That is not to say they tested a good one and then sent out lots of bad ones to make a buck.

It is interesting that the manufacturer is no longer in business and the seller is no longer in the “Valley” (Valley of the Sun). Sounds like a scam to me. One would have thought with the stake at hand, the Phoenix Police Department would have conducted their own tests according to the same DoD protocols.

[BOBWADE]

I thought one of the article I read said it was a .40 cal. I will google it.

[BOBWADE]

more info here:

http://www.azplea.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=541:plea-comments-on-ballistic-vest-failure-

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The vests commonly worn by LEOs are only good against rimfire ammo and most common pistol rounds. There are a couple of high velocity pistol rounds that will penetrate.

It's not a matter of "armor piercing" bullets. Centerfire hunting rounds are not armor piercing by design but the LEO vests won't stop them.

This issue has been clouded by a bunch of made up terms designed to support the gun control movement. For a while they were trying to ban any round which would penetrate a standard vest. That would include most hunting ammo.

If you want to see a vest fail dramatically shoot it with a broadhead arrow from a hunting bow or crossbow, they go through like a hot knife through butter.

[BOBWADE]

One of the articles I googled was talking about a new kind of armour. Is this body armour any good? The video looks promising.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CgHZY2oZTw&feature=youtu.be

[BOBWADE]

I had hear that and wondered if it was true. Its amazing how fragile the ceramic plates are yet they transfer the impact and stop a bullet.

[PapaBear3625]

On a cop forum there was talk in 2005 about users being unimpressed with the product.

In your link, we have

…The vests in question were made by Custom Armor Technologies. That company is no longer in business. …Diamondback Tactical supplied the vest, but the company has since moved out of the Valley.

I'm going to guess that, as "Custom Technologies" went under increasing financial pressure, their final batches may not have been subjected to the best quality control. I would not be surprised to learn that, after their prototypes passed NIJ tests, they subcontracted actual manufacture to China.

The REAL culprit here, who will never be examined, is the police dept purchasing unit who bought "hundreds" of these vests, yet never thought to perform acceptance testing by taking one or two out of each purchased batch to the range for target practice.

[butterdezillion]

The guns that Eric Holder sold to the drug cartels - would they pierce the armor of, say, Sheriff Joe, his police officers, and his posse?

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The 7.62X39 round the AK47 clones shoot is about the same as a 30/30 Winchester. The LEO vests aren't designed for that much power.

The whole thing boils down to doing something about the barbarians that are piling up deeper every day, not more regulation of guns and ammo.

[BOBWADE]

Yet another fine result from the low-bid contracts.
I was watching that video link on the new Terminator armor. Now that is some good armour!

[hiredhand]

As best I know, NO manufacture will guarantee bullet-proof. Not to mention that unless the LEO is SRT the kevlar is most likely rated TL-IIA due to cost. TL-IIA is the minimum standard for most of the departments we work with. LOTS of rounds slice through that stuff like it was warm butter! We shot up an unserviceable IIA vest here one day. It stopped 9mm FMJs pretty well. Ditto for .45ACP FMJs. But Russian 7.62x25s went RIGHT through it and we had it snugged onto a big bag of sand to simulate a torso! I've got a buddy here who's a "big wig" in the DoD/LEO kevlar business. He's a chemical engineer and designs the material which goes into the vests as well as the vests. You should hear his speech on the definition of bullet proof. He's the whole reason that all of us extremists ditched all the IIA stuff we had and upgraded. :-)

Most people don't know this (you probably DO), but broadhead arrows shot from a good compound bow are hell on TL-IIA kevlar!

[smokingfrog]

Investigators later learned that one of the rounds fired by Sandoval (.40 Cal) penetrated and punched through the Kevlar material at the lower edge ofc Daley's Level IIIA ballistic vest approx. 3/8" from the outer edge.

NIJ test data does not address impacts that occur within 76mm or 3" of the panel edge or within 51mm or 2" of a prior ballistic impact.

[momtothree]

Thank you for your knowledge on this! I had no idea that a broadhead arrow would penetrate a vest. In short, the vest is probably suppose to help with some situations; however, I am thinking no vest will protect 100% of the time.