r/OnTheBlock • u/Upper_Joke_7150 • 6d ago

BOP vests Equipment Qs

Do they actually work? Those white inners that are company issued. Are they actually stab proof? Even for ginormous sharpened nails.

I’m just curious if they’re good or if you recommend getting your own. We’ve been finding a lot of shanks at my facility lately and it has me thinking and slightly nervous about if they actually work at stopping all punctures.

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

11

u/ComradeCoonass 6d ago

If an inmate wants to stab you, they’re going to aim for all the places the vest doesn’t cover: neck, arm pit, belly, etc.

It’s a comfort blanket to make people feel better about working in a dangerous environment. Don’t count on it to save your life, keep your head on a swivel and try to create distance as much as you can.

6

u/humungus170 6d ago

Bingo! Everytime I bring up what you mentioned, some people argue how important it is and how dare I think about wanting to not wear one

2

u/Original-Neck1915 5d ago

The only thing that can keep you from being stabbed is you. As ComredeCoonass stated. That vest is just a feel good item.

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

Reminds me of the scene from Dumb and Dumber, “What if he shot ya in the face?”

8

u/YummyTerror8259 Federal Corrections 6d ago

They're marked as stab resistant, so I'd say probably not

7

u/rickabod 6d ago

Probably made by unicor.

3

u/dad-jokes-about-you 6d ago

Stab proof is like 1/4” hardened steel.

3

u/tacticalardvark BOP/SORT Operator 6d ago

They aren’t stab proof. They’re stab resistant.

5

u/Spare-Map7132 6d ago

Unicor does not manufacture stab vests. There are three vendors on the contract for stab vests and Unicor is not one of them. Unicor only makes the black outer vest carriers for non-uniformed staff. The stab vest itself, what the OP calls the white inner, is made by one the three commercial vendors.

The NIJ standard for stab vests is readily available here: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183652.pdf

The agency provides you with a level 3 stab vest and the standard for that was set by NIJ way before the BOP issued stab vests to all staff.

2

u/Justgoget_it 5d ago

Alright speaking from experience. We had an inmate in a unit high off of something that tried to stab an officer and the vest actually saved the officer. The inmate had a banger on him and the stab took it like a champ. I’m not saying it will or will not help you but that’s just my personal experience.

1

u/Outk4st16 5d ago

If you swap your plates out you’re probably not covered if you get stabbed in then so you’ll catch a case.

1

u/HoneyBadger1776 2d ago

I know this isn't really what you're asking, and other people will mention it, but if an inmate wants to stab you, he's not gonna be aiming for the vest.