Are there different thicknesses/strengths of bullet-proof vests for different purposes? The only bullet-proof vests I've ever recognized are the ones worn by highway patrol troopers in uniform, and they are so bulky that even my untrained eye can spot them a long way off.
yeah from class 1 to class 5 ive seen the class 5 take an AK barrage at point blank, the coast guard uses them for boarding armor. Class 1 wont stop most handgun rounds, mainly for knives and the like. Most common is 2A which will stop most moderate handgun rounds.
Yes, the level of protection depends on how many layers of the fabric Kevlar are in the vest.
Some maximum-protection tactical vests such as SWAT or bomb-squad officers wear also have steel or ceramic inserts.
Any armor is a trade-off between comfort, mobility unobtrusiveness and protection.
A uniformed officer wouldn't be concerned about unobtrusiveness since a perp would be expecting him to wear a vest.
However an undercover guy or a businessman would wear one which was not so obvious but which offered less protection.
Vests are uncomfortable and ungodly hot to wear, but they're infinitely better than taking a round in the giblets.
The type lae enforcement officers wear are designed to stop handgun rounds, but will not stop a high poweres rifle or an edged weapon. I think the kind that the President wears, will stop almost anything.