Body Armor Lifecycle Management: How Law Enforcement Can Protect Officers, Preserve Trust, and Avoid Silent Failures

Body armor is not a static asset. It is a life-saving system whose performance depends on how it is selected, issued, worn, stored, inspected, and retired over time. Most armor failures do not happen suddenly or dramatically. They emerge quietly—through expired warranties, undocumented damage, misunderstood care requirements, and shifting standards that go unnoticed. These gaps are rarely the result of negligence. They are failures of lifecycle management.