It was a routine traffic stop on a typical Sunday evening in Fort Dodge, Iowa. While arresting an individual on suspicion of providing false identification information and driving on a suspended license, the arresting officer unexpectedly encountered an unknown substance. Not long after, the officer experienced lightheadedness and called for medical support. When medics arrived on the scene, the officer was found unresponsive in his patrol vehicle.

During and after transportation to the emergency room, the officer received multiple doses of Narcan, a drug designed to counteract the effects of opioids. The officer stayed in the hospital overnight and was released the next day. Although tests had yet to be conducted on the substance immediately following the incident, officials suspected it to be fentanyl or a similar drug.¹

As the law enforcement community knows, fentanyl is an extremely powerful opioid. Originally designed to address cancer pain, fentanyl and its derivatives have become increasingly popular as a street drug as a result of the ongoing opioid addiction crisis. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is 80–100 times stronger than morphine. An amount equivalent to three grains of sugar can be lethal to an adult.²

Fentanyl is emblematic of the modern challenges facing law enforcement. Combined with another ongoing epidemic—mass shootings—this landscape is spurring police, and the companies that manufacture the equipment on which they rely, to rethink the gear that keeps officers safe.

From body armor to bicycles, new products can help better protect the officers that protect the public.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Sirchie, based in Youngsville, North Carolina, has long been a leader in a range of products and solutions for law enforcement and forensic science. The rise of fentanyl and other powerful street drugs recently inspired the creation of NARK300PPE, a personal protective equipment (PPE) kit that can be easily donned by officers when faced with unknown substances. The kit was designed to meet federal and pharmaceutical company guidelines for the safe handling, transporting, and testing of dangerous illicit substances.

“There’s a demand for personal protective equipment, which was generated because of the fentanyl scare,” said Dyer Bennett, Sirchie’s vice president of product development and training. “The threat is more than just touching it. You don’t always know what the substance is. You encounter fentanyl and different derivatives and synthetic amphetamines. They are stronger now.”³

Gloves are often viewed as a first—and sometimes only—line of defense in such situations, but when such small amounts of a drug can have an effect when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, a more robust option is needed.

The NARK300PPE includes coveralls, a respirator mask, two pair of nitrile gloves, boot covers, fully sealed goggles, and various labels and storage bags. “The biggest change has been that officers had to handle something with latex gloves or nitrile gloves and nothing else,” Bennett said. “But eye protection and respiratory protection clothing are important and require a much broader definition of PPE.”

The kit is small and lightweight, Bennett said, with the contents designed to easily and safely utilize. “There’s a card inside for how to put it on in the right order and take it off. It’s half the size of a briefcase and it’s all shrink-wrapped so nothing is damaged by heat,” Bennett said. “There’s a convenience factor because everything is packaged together, and there’s no question of whether you have the right gloves.”

Several other companies also offer PPE solutions for law enforcement users. For example, DQE, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, provides a number of PPE items and kits as well as hazmat suits and related products.⁴ The companies HazMat Personal Protection Kit includes a suit, gloves, protection mask, ChemTape, and goggles. Various other models and accessories are also available.

BODY ARMOR

Different kinds of body armor are intended for different policing scenarios. All body armor is designed to protect the office, but some types provide a tactical advantage, while others are suited specifically to more extreme events such as active shooter situations.

In the former case, the Armorskin TacVest XP, produced by Boston-based Blauer Manufacturing, fits existing body armor and can be outfitted with additional plates at a moment’s notice. In the latter case, AR550, produced by Tucson, Arizona-based Spartan Armor Systems, is designed for incidents of more overt or extreme violence—which imparts added protection thanks to a technology originally developed for use in pickup truck beds.

The difference in the Armorskin TacVest XP, officials said, is its easy-to-access zippered pockets that are built to accommodate most conventional armor plates. “It’s a vest cover that allows you to quickly add rifle plates to the front and back. You unzip the zipper, add a plate, zip it back up. It’s done in 15 seconds. It can be done while you’re seated in the vehicle,” said Stephen Blauer, the company’s owner.⁵

The vest is made from the same polyester material used in Blauer police uniforms, which not only provides comfort but also a strategic edge in the field. “We use shirting fabric because we want [police] to maintain a tactical advantage,” Blauer said. “If it’s worn on the outside, the tactical advantage can be given away and the rules of engagement might change in a way that is not good for the police.”

Spartan Armor System created the AR550 as its core product. Certified at Level 3 by the National Institute of Justice, it reaches roughly 550 on the Brinnell Hardness scale.

“The idea is that it’s used only during active shooter scenarios,” said Todd Meeks, Spartan Armor System’s president. “This is used to go over regular armor in an active shooter situation.”⁶

The armor is made mainly of laser-cut steel, with an ability to withstand a range of higher-velocity rifle threats such as 5.56 x 45 XM193, 5.56 x 45 M855/SS109 and 7.62 x 51 (.308 Winchester) at a rated velocity of 3,100 fps or less.

However, the armor has another, subtler attribute that increases its safety profile. The steel is coated with a substance the company has dubbed Encapslock. Inspired by the material used for spray-on truck bed liners, the material captures and contains bullet fragments. “The coating is sprayed on,” Meeks said. “It’s a polyurea coating. When a rifle round or a handgun round hits the steel, the coating contains those fragments.”

VEHICLES

In law enforcement, even day-to-day activities can contain an element of danger. Vehicles are a big part of this equation. Motor vehicles come equipped with a host of safety features, many of which are well known to the civilian population as well as the public safety community.

But the idea also can extend beyond cars and traditional vehicles to bicycles. Volcanic Bikes, headquartered in North Bonneville, Washington, crafts its bicycles for safety and strength—and with law enforcement specifically in mind.

“It can withstand extra weight,” said Eric Kackley, Volcanic Bikes’ founder and designer. “All the components are different from other bikes. Our bikes are purpose built. It’s not just a bike for the general public with a police sticker on it.”⁷

The APB model, built especially for police use, comes equipped with a range of customizable options and is built to withstand a range of conditions. Its durable construction, Kackley said, increases the safety profile compared to competing models. “The goal is safety,” Kackley said. “There are fewer failures on our bikes. We’re not just trying to get to the lowest dollar figure.”

Whether processing a crime scene patrolling the community, stopping vehicles, or responding to a potentially violent situation, the risks to police officers can be mitigated by ensuring they have top-of-the-line protective gear that fits the situation and associated dangers.🛡

Notes:

¹ Brandon Lawrence, “Fort Dodge Police Officer Hospitalized after Being Exposed to Suspected Fentanyl,” WeAreIowa.com, March 4, 2019.

² Drug Enforcement Administration, “Fentanyl.”

³ Dyer Bennett (vice president, product development and training, Sirchie), telephone interview, May 10, 2019.

⁴ DQE, “HazMat Personal Protection Kit.”

⁵ Stephen Blauer (owner, Blauer Manufacturing), telephone interview, May 9, 2019.

⁶ Todd Meeks (president, Spartan Armor Systems), telephone interview, May 10, 2019.

⁷ Eric Kackley (founder and designer, Volcanic Bikes), telephone interview, May 9,2 019.