U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Gary Peters’ Bill Updating Next Generation Body Armor Technology Passes

Ensures body armor protects female law enforcement

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 4, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today announced their DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent. This bipartisan bill would require all agencies under DHS to provide improved ballistic body armor to appropriately fit both male and female law enforcement officers. 

“The brave law enforcement personnel at the Department of Homeland Security need equipment that keeps them safe and ensures they can return home to their families every night. Unfortunately, their current body armor sometimes misses the mark—requiring some officers to wear equipment that does not provide the full protection they deserve,” said Senator Britt. “With the passage of the DHS Better Ballistic Body Armor Act, we are ensuring every man and woman in the line of duty has the best equipment necessary to protect them. I am thankful for the unanimous passage of our legislation, and I look forward to seeing this bill pass the House and ultimately be signed into law.”

“Law enforcement officers deserve protective body armor that keeps them as safe as they keep us. My bill will ensure that all officers, regardless of gender or body type, will have access to the most advanced and effective safety equipment,” said Senator Peters.

In 2022, the FBI conducted ballistic testing using updated procedures and improved body molds that accounted for different body types. The testing found that the commonly used body armor, when tested on female and certain male molds, was vulnerable to a bullet, or other projectile, ricocheting off the top center of the front armor panel and into the throat area, which could kill an officer. Since the testing, improved ballistic body armor has been created and is available, but DHS does not provide this potentially life-saving body armor to their officers. 

As such, this bill would require all agencies under DHS to provide law enforcement personnel with appropriately fitting improved ballistic body armor to keep them safe. 

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