POLICE BODY ARMOR

Summary:

The Department of Justice (Department) proposes to clean up outdated regulations by repealing sections 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, and 957 of title 11, division 1, chapter 11 of the California Code of Regulations concerning Police Body Armor.

Firearms are one of the most dangerous threats faced by law enforcement officers. Ballistic-resistant soft body armor has saved the lives of many police officers. Body armor is critical safety equipment that law enforcement and corrections officers need for personal protection. The repeal of the outdated regulations will remove the inconsistency between the Department’s regulation and the State’s current procurement practices.

NOTE: Regulation documents prepared by the Department may contain markup including underline, strikethrough, or highlight. While these documents are ADA-compliant, upon request, the Department can prepare a more screen reader-friendly version of these documents with annotations that explain the marked changes. Please submit all requests to regulations@doj.ca.gov.

Notice Register Publication Date: October 21, 2022

Status of the Proposal
The rulemaking is complete. On February 6, 2023, the Office of Administrative Law approved the regulations and filed them with the Secretary of State. The regulations become effective on April 1, 2023.

Final Rulemaking Documents:

• OAL Approval Letter.pdf
• Final Text of Proposed Regulations.pdf
• Final Statement of Reasons.pdf
• Updated Informative Digest.pdf

Public Notice and Related Documents:

• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.pdf
• Text of Proposed Regulations.pdf
• Initial Statement of Reasons.pdf
• Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement (STD 399).pdf
• Documents Relied Upon
  • NILECJ-STD-0101.01, The Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor, Dec 1978.pdf
  • NIJ Standard-0101.06, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, July 2008.pdf
  • DGS, Bid Specification 8470-2208, Ballistic Body Armor Level IIIA.pdf
  • Military Specifications No. MIL-I-45208A, Inspection System Requirements, Dec 1963.pdf
  • Notice of Cancellation, Oct 1996 - Military Specifications No. MIL-I-45208A, Inspection System Requirements, Dec 1963 (canceled without replacement).pdf
  • Mark Greene, Body Armor - Protecting Our Nation's Officers from Ballistic Threats, NIJ Journal 280, Jan 2019.pdf
  • Mark Greene, et al, The Next Revision of the NIJ Performance Standard for Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, NIJ Standard 0101.07 Changes to Test Methods and Test Threats.pdf
• Tips for Making Effective Comments.pdf