WASHINGTON – To mark National Police Week, Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a founder of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, will host a briefing on Tuesday for members of Congress and their staff to experience wearing bullet-resistant and stab-resistant body armor and attend a panel presentation on the function and science behind this critical safety equipment. The event will be held in SVC-200 of the Capitol Visitors Center and is open to the public.
The “Protection through Innovation: Bullet– and Stab-Resistant Body Armor and Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers” briefing is sponsored by the Senate and House Law Enforcement Caucuses and features speakers from local and national law enforcement agencies and the technology industry. Issues that will be addressed during the briefing include body armor wear rates and special fit issues concerning body armor worn by females, the scientific testing process for body armor, and efforts to minimize the risks of backface signature injuries.
The briefing will highlight the importance for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Act of 2012, which is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Senator Coons is an original cosponsor of this legislation that provides funding to state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in their purchasing of ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant body armor through competitive grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
In addition to Senator Coons, the briefing will be co-hosted by Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Representative Dan Reichert (R-Wash.-8), and Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.-8). Senator Coons will deliver keynote remarks followed by a panel presentation by: Chief Jeffrey Horvath, Lewes, Delaware, Police Department and Chairman of the Delaware Police Chefs Council; Retired Chief Ron McBride, IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club; Stephanie Garlock, National Sheriffs’ Association; and Jeff Fackler, DuPont Protection Technology.