Can I purchase covers or carriers in which to insert body armor?
Yes. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Standard 0101.03 states that body armor (or “armor carriers”) can be classified, for purposes of this discussion, as generally being one of two types: (1) “Armor Carriers with Nonremovable Ballistic Panels” or (2) “Armor Carriers with Removable Ballistic Panels.” Thus, covers or carriers are used in the type of body armor described in (2) above. It would appear that, generally speaking, the purchase of covers or armor carriers (so that usable armor could be inserted therein) with grant funds would be an acceptable expenditure. The fundamental requirement is that the resulting body armor meets appropriate NIJ (or other applicable) standards, as required by the implementing regulations. As long as the resulting vests meet those standards, the purchase of covers by your department can be made with State Body Armor Replacement Fund monies.
