Ballistic shields, also called tactical shields or bulletproof shields, are protection devices deployed by

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

paramilitaries A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

, and armed forces that are designed to stop or deflect bullets and other projectiles fired at their carrier. Ballistic shields also protect from less serious threats such as thrown items. Ballistic shields are similar to

riot shields A riot shield is a lightweight protection device, typically deployed by police and some military organizations, though also utilized by protestors. Riot shields are typically long enough to cover an average-sized person from the top of the head to ...

, but offer greater protection and are typically used by special units or in situations where riot shields would not offer adequate protection.

Overview

Shields small enough to be carried by a single person may be termed "personal shields", and may be carried in police cars in the United States as standard equipment. Whether or not a shield is used will depend on both policy and the individual situation. It may be the policy of a police force to use shields only in defensive situations, such as establishing a perimeter and waiting for reinforcements, while others may permit their usage in offensive situations, such as high risk traffic stops or approaching a suspect deemed to be dangerous. Recommended features of ballistic shields for police include a carrying system that allows it to be held long-term without fatigue, and the ability to both reload a handgun while holding the shield and also fire it accurately with one hand. The carriage of a ballistic shield in one hand will limit both the types of firearms that can be used with the other hand as well as certain methods of shooting.

Composition

Ballistic shields are similar to body armor plates in their construction, and are typically made out of fibre-reinforced plastic composites derived from

ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW) is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. Also known as high-modulus polyethylene, (HMPE), it has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 3.5 and 7.5 million amu. ...

aramid Aramid fibers, short for aromatic polyamide, are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in marine cordage, ma ...

. They may, like ceramic armor, incorporate a ceramic layer on their outer surface to enable them to defeat steel-core

armor-piercing bullet Armor-piercing bullets for rifle and handgun cartridges are designed to penetrate ballistic armor and protective shields intended to stop or deflect conventional bullets. Although bullet design is an important factor with regard to armor pen ...

s. They may have features such as

bulletproof glass Bulletproof glass, ballistic glass, transparent armor, or bullet-resistant glass is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles. Like any other material, it is not completely impenetr ...

windows, ambidextrous handles, and spotlights for use at night, and may be either hand-held or mounted on wheeled frames. They vary in size, with some being designed to protect only the upper torso and others designed to protect the whole body. Unlike a

ballistic vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. Th ...

, projectiles successfully stopped by a ballistic shield will not transfer trauma or pain to the bearer, as they are designed to not be in direct contact with the body.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballistic Shield Law enforcement equipment Paramilitary equipment Shields

Overview

Composition

See also

References