Protective Systems Research

The Protective Systems Research (PSR) program conducts and coordinates research and provides technical services to address standards needs for protective equipment used by law enforcement and corrections officers.

The PSR program recognizes that improvements made to standards and test methods often emerge from applied research.  To ensure relevancy and effectiveness of research, PSR program staff and associated researchers participate regularly in a number of working groups and other outreach activities to discuss projects and identify needs.  In recent years, the primary focus of the program was on body armor, and body armor remains a high priority under the current program.  Body armor projects under the PSR program are grouped into three major categories:

• Applied research for ballistic-resistant body armor standards
• Advanced research and metrology for high strength materials
• Applied research for stab-resistant body armor standards