Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/65600
FOCUS Uniforms & Accessories Many agencies frown on these types of carriers as being too "militaristic" or similar statements. This flies in the face of the obvious advantages of moving equipment from your belt to a carrier, which can be ordered with badge and nameplate tabs, POLICE banners and the like. It only makes sense to increase officer comfort by shifting some of these duty belt items to the external vest carrier if possible. EXTERNAL VEST CARRIERS New Developments Many armor manufacturers have taken officer suggestions into account and are going back to their R&D; departments and in- corporating many of these ideas. Shoulder adjustment is man- datory and is being addressed by most. Could a hybrid vest, which incorporates the best of both types of vest carriers be developed? This vest would satisfy the advocates of the uniform shirt look with sections of MOLLE across the front abdomen section to allow several items to be shifted to the vest carrier. Because most of these vest carriers use lighter weight fabric, it would necessitate a heavier weight material on the outer shell, but this would still not ruin the uniform shirt look asked for. With more and more officers and agencies asking for vest carriers, manu- facturers have been devoting more time and thought to advancement in this area. External ballistic-vest panel carri- ers are making headway with uniform patrol and for sound reasoning – they increase comfort and decrease fatigue and in the case of some designs, offer the patrol officer a relief from the bur- densome weight of the duty equipment they must carry. Agencies and officers should con- sult their body armor manufacturer to see if they place the ballistic panels in another company's carrier, does it vio- late the warranty. Manufacturers have expressed concern that doing so poten- tially affects the way the vest covers the officer's body, possibly exposing gaps. Body armor saves lives and external carriers increase the comfort of wearing it on duty. That's a double win for law enforcement. Kevin R. Davis is a full-time officer with 29 years of experience. Assigned to the Training Bureau, he specializes in firearms and tactics instruction. Kevin is a former team leader and lead instructor for his agency's SWAT team. Visit his website at www.advancedtacticalconcepts. com. He welcomes your comments at kd1@ advancedtacticalconcepts.com. LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com Click on EInfo at - www.lawandordermag.com reader service #20 34 LAW and ORDER I May 2012