One of the questions we most often receive from our customers is whether there is a difference between the vests Elite-Armor supplies to civilians and the vests worn by the police. And here we can confidently say that with a bulletproof vest from Elite Armor, you are just as well protected against gunfire and stabbings as police officers are.
In the U.S. law enforcement force, 41.4% of officers use bulletproof vests at the NIJ II (2) level and 35% of officers use bulletproof vests at an even higher level, namely NIJ IIIA (3A).
Update 2026: The U.S. statistics have been updated: over 3,000 officers have survived shootings thanks to bulletproof vests since 1987, according to IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police). In Denmark, NIJ IIIA is the most widespread standard among security guards and police officers in active service.
This means that if you buy a bulletproof vest from Elite Armor, you are as well protected as 35% of American police officers – and better protected than 41.4% of American police officers!
Which weapons the vest protects you against
Bulletproof vests of the NIJ IIIA standard protect you against weapons such as:
- .44 Magnum
- .9 mm automatic pistols
- .357 SIG
- .357 Magnum
- .9 mm Luger
- .40 Smith & Wesson
If you need additional protection – for example against AK47 and other rifle ammunition – you can purchase a trauma plate. With a trauma plate you achieve an even higher protection level – namely NIJ IV (4) – and thus reach the level of the bulletproof vests used by U.S. SWAT teams.
Note: The construction and protection level of a bulletproof vest used by the Danish police is unfortunately not publicly available in Denmark.
