The topic of body armor and personal protection equipment seems to get increased awareness in the national law enforcement literature every couple of months. The tragic death of a law enforcement officer not wearing body armor is usually the igniting factor to readdress the topic. In California, the majority of law enforcement agencies require their officers to wear body armor while in uniform and assigned to patrol or traffic assignments. This is not the case with many agencies within the other 49 states. Either due to budget constraints or a resistance to change, a significant number of officers put their uniform on each day without the protection of body armor. As of October 20, 2011, fifty law enforcement officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty. A 16% increase in comparison to October 2010. In May 2011, the preliminary FBI 2010 Law Enforcement Officers Killed statistics were released. There was a 9% year over year increase in the number of officers shot and killed in 2010 compared to 2009. 28% of those killed were shot with rifles. Out of the 56 officers shot and killed in 2010, only 67% were wearing body armor. In the last year, three law enforcement officers in San Diego County, CA have been shot in the head in the line of duty. Two of them died from their injuries and the third was critically injured but survived. The type of injuries these officers suffered sparked a discussion with some of my medical colleagues on the need for ballistic helmets for officers. Ballistic head protection is standard for special operations teams operating throughout the world. For the majority of line officers that also risk their lives day-to-day, this is not the case. Despite the lack of scientific data strongly supporting the effectiveness of ballistic helmets, the need is apparent and their use seems obvious to the medical staff treating these officers and the families of those who have been injured. In May 2009, a city of Oakland, CA SWAT officer was able to shoot and kill a murder suspect wanted in the killing of four police officers after suspect shot him in the head at point blank distance. His helmet not only saved his life, it gave him the opportunity to act--which most likely saved the lives of several team members. The 25% increase in shooting deaths of law enforcement officers in the last 2 years is a very sobering fact. Patrol rifles have become standard equipment, similarly ballistic helmets should also be issued to every officer….such a simple change could be the difference between life and death.
