Considerations for Personal Protective Equipment for Public Order Policing

The safety of law enforcement officers is inherent in public order events, especially if the event dissolves into disorder. When disorder occurs, law enforcement officers must be protected. A properly trained and protected officer will be better able to make critical decisions during intense situations. This chapter first elaborates on the necessity of specific Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for public order policing and discusses the importance of standards and training. The second part focuses on distinct PPE, including impact protection, eye, hearing, and respiratory protection, gloves and boots, and outer garments, and briefly discusses their specifics and interdependencies. In conclusion, this chapter also emphasizes the role of law enforcement leaders, who must balance avoiding the perception of expecting disorder with being prepared to respond to it (by wearing PPE) and constantly assessing the need for personnel protection.