Bexar County Sheriff's Office Body Armor Policy PDF

BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE POLICY MANUAL Original Date Effective Date Chapter Number November 30, 2012 September 29, 2023 Forty-Two Subject Office Body Armor...

BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE POLICY MANUAL Original Date Effective Date Chapter Number November 30, 2012 September 29, 2023 Forty-Two Subject Office Body Armor Law Enforcement References Enclosures National Institute of Justice Standard-0101.06 None Distribution Supersedes Reevaluation Date Pages All Sheriff’s Employees November 30, 2012 September 29, 2024 4 Approved by: Javier Salazar, Bexar County Sheriff 42.01 POLICY It is the policy of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to maximize deputy safety through the use of body armor in combination with prescribed safety procedures. While body armor provides a significant level of protection, it is not a substitute for the observance of deputy safety procedures. 42.02 PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to provide deputies with guidelines for the proper use and care of body armor. 42.03 DEFINITIONS A. BODY ARMOR - In this chapter, shall be interpreted to mean soft body armor that is typically worn under a uniform or in a specific outer carrier, unless otherwise designated as rifle-resistant body armor. B. FIELD ACTIVITIES - Duty assignments and/or tasks that place, or could reasonably be expected to place, deputies in situations where they would be required to act in a law enforcement rather than an administrative, support, or strictly detention capacity. 42.04 BODY ARMOR A. Issuance of Body Armor 1. All deputies assigned to field activities shall be issued agency-approved body armor and only issued agency-approved body armor shall be worn. 2. Body armor that is worn or damaged shall be replaced by the agency. Body armor that must be replaced due to misuse or abuse shall be paid for by the deputy. 3. Body armor will be replaced in accordance with guidelines and protocols established by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the BCSO. 1  4. All body armor issued must comply with protective and related requirements prescribed under the National Institute of Justice Standard-0101.06. A complete listing of this standard can be found at http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf. B. Use of Body Armor 1. Uniformed Field Deputies a. Deputies assigned to uniformed field duties are required to wear body armor while engaged in on-duty field activities unless: 1) An agency-approved physician determines that a deputy has a medical condition that would preclude wearing body armor. Any such physician recommendation shall be in writing and a copy shall be maintained in the deputy’s personnel file; or 2) The deputy is involved in an undercover or plain clothes assignment that his/her supervisor determines could be compromised by wearing body armor. 3) Field deputies may petition their immediate supervisor to consider that other unlisted conditions exist, which make it inappropriate to mandate wearing body armor. The supervisor shall request that a determination of the exception’s validity be made by the Sheriff or Chief Deputy by submitting it in writing. Once an exception is granted it will be signed by the Sheriff or Chief Deputy and returned to the deputy, who will have a copy placed in his/her personnel file. Any exception granted under this section will only remain in effect as long as the original conditions necessitating the exception exist. 2. Uniformed Administrative Deputies a. Deputies who are assigned to administrative duties and work primarily in an office environment are encouraged, but not required, to wear body armor. b. These deputies shall wear body armor when they respond to any call for service or engage in field activities that would normally require wearing body armor. 3. Investigators/Plain Clothed Personnel a. Investigators and other deputies authorized to wear plain clothes are encouraged, but not required, to wear body armor, unless they are serving a search warrant, making arrests, or participating in high-risk activity. These deputies shall don their body armor prior to service or high-risk activity. The body armor shall be worn under a raid jacket or in an approved outer carrier that properly identifies the wearer as a BCSO deputy. b. Investigators/plain clothed deputies shall have their body armor with them to ensure that it is available at all times when on-duty. C. Inspections of Body Armor 1. 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. 2  2. A designated representative shall conduct annual inspections of body armor. The inspections will cover fit, cleanliness, signs of damage, abuse, and wear. D. Care, Maintenance, and Replacement of Body Armor 1. As dirt and perspiration may erode ballistic panels, deputies shall routinely inspect their agency issued body armor for signs of damage and for general cleanliness in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 2. All elastic/Velcro straps should be removed from shoulder and side areas before washing. a. On a regular basis deputies shall remove the armor panels, trauma plate, and Velcro straps from the outer carrier, and wash the carrier in a washing machine on a “gentle” cycle using cool water. The carrier shall then be allowed to air-dry until completely dried. b. Each time the outer carrier is washed, the outside surfaces of the armor panels shall be cleaned using a damp, soapy cloth along with a mild detergent such as dishwashing liquid, and then allow to air-dry. Do not use a clothes dryer or hang the panels to dry them. Avoid exposing them to direct UV sunlight for an extended period. 3. Deputies are responsible for the proper storage, maintenance, and care of body armor in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. 4. Deputies are responsible for reporting damage or excessive wear to the ballistic panels or cover/carrier to their supervisor and the individual responsible for the uniform supply function. E. The Training Academy, working with the Research and Planning Unit, shall be responsible for: 1. Monitoring technological advances in the body armor industry that may necessitate a change in agency issued body armor. 2. Assessing weapons and ammunition currently in use and the suitability of approved body armor to protect against those threats. 3. Providing presentations that demonstrate the body armor’s stopping power under actual firing conditions and that emphasize its safe and proper use. 4. Maintaining statistics on incidents where body armor has or has not protected deputies from harm, including traffic accidents. F. Deputies assigned to the Adult Detention Bureau, who are not provided body armor or external rifle resistant body armor, may purchase body armor or external rifle resistant body armor at the deputy’s own expense. The purchase of body armor shall comply with the same standards and related requirements identified in 42.04 (A) (4). Prior to any expenditures, deputies assigned to the Adult Detention Bureau are encouraged to contact the BCSO Training Academy for guidance in the proper selection of the appropriate brand, standard, threat level, etc. to ensure the purchase complies with this policy. 3 42.05 EXTERNAL RIFLE RESISTANT BODY ARMOR A. An external rifle resistant body armor set consisting of one (1) external carrier, two (2) rifle resistant plates, two (2) ID panels, and two (2) pouches will be issued to all Law Enforcement Bureau deputies. These sets may also be issued to other specialized units of the BCSO, if available and warranted, at the discretion of the Sheriff or his designee(s). B. Serial numbers from each plate will be recorded and registered with the manufacturer, the BCSO, and Bexar County Purchasing Department. C. External rifle resistant body armor will be worn in addition to, and over, soft body armor. D. Issued plates will conform to NIJ Ballistic Resistance Standard, 0101.06. E. Manufactured specifications and NIJ CPL information will be recorded and stored with the BCSO. F. At the initial issuance of external rifle resistant body armor, deputies shall be trained how to properly wear, as well as provide the proper care, fitting, inspection, use, storage, and maintenance of the external rifle resistant body armor. G. External rifle resistant body armor shall be cared for and maintained by each deputy in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. Deputies shall conduct frequent visual inspections of rifle resistant plates, the external carrier, and issued accessories. H. Deputies shall not store external rifle resistant body armor or its components in areas of extreme or rapidly fluctuating temperatures, as this can cause damage that compromises the integrity of the armor set. I. External rifle resistant body armor is not designed to and should not be worn during regular daily BCSO operations. However, deputies may wear it whenever they feel the extra ballistic protection is warranted and remove when the threat is no longer present. J. If the deputy is also assigned a body worn camera (BWC), the external plate carrier will be set up with a BWC mount that is located in such a manner that it does not interfere with deployment of a long gun. Deputies will transition their BWC from their uniform to the external carrier as they deploy, time permitting. K. Deputies who are issued external rifle resistant body armor by the BCSO shall keep them immediately accessible during duty hours. 42.06 STORAGE OF ALL BODY ARMOR TYPES Deputies are responsible for the safe storage of their issued body armor. Body armor shall not be left unattended in the passenger compartment or trunk of personal vehicles. Deputies are responsible for the replacement cost of lost/stolen body armor unless it can be shown that unattended body armor was safely stored. The prescribed method of storage is to maintain unworn body armor in a ‘raid bag’ or ‘go bag’ which is kept inside the deputy’s residence and only placed in the vehicle trunk or other locked, solid container (pickup tool box) during transit. 4