PRACTICAL BULLETPROOF ARMOR WAS DEVELOPED DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. UNDERCOVER BULLETPROOF VESTS WERE DEVELOPED AFTER WORLD WAR I IN ENGLAND AND ELSEWHERE. IN THE LATE 1940'S AND EARLY 1950'S, SURPLUS MILITARY FLAK JACKETS BECAME AVAILABLE TO THE POLICE. THESE VESTS WERE NOT INTENDED TO BE BULLETPROOF, BUT WOULD DEFEAT .45 AUTOMATIC COLT PISTOLS AND LIGHT .38-CALIBER SPECIALS. ALTHOUGH OBSOLETE, THE FLAK VESTS CONTINUE TO BE USED BY MANY DEPARTMENTS. IN THE 1960'S, NEW MATERIALS BECAME AVAILABLE AND GREATER ATTENTION WAS PAID TO INTENDED USE AND PACKAGING. DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS FOCUSED ON PISTOLPROOF UNDERCOVER VESTS AND RIFLEPROOF TACTICAL VESTS. VESTS MADE OF BALLISTIC NYLON CLOTH, THOUGH NOT TOTALLY EFFECTIVE, SAVED OFFICERS' LIVES. THE OPTIMUM MATERIAL FOR SOFT BODY ARMOR IS THE DUPONT-DEVELOPED KEVLAR, WHICH, WEIGHT-FOR-WEIGHT, OFFERS MORE PROTECTION THAN STEEL. IN ADDITION TO THE SOFT ARMOR, HARD ARMOR AND BALLISTIC HELMETS ARE AVAILABLE. THE USE OF PROTECTIVE BODY ARMOR IN RIOTS AND CIVIL DISTURBANCES AND IN CONFRONTATIONS WITH TERRORISTS AND BARRICADED SUSPECTS IS DISCUSSED, AND PROBLEMS WITH REGARD TO THE USE OF SOFT PROTECTIVE ARMOR BY POLICE ARE EXAMINED. REASONS CITED BY MANY POLICE OFFICERS FOR NOT WEARING THE SOFT ARMOR ARE DISPUTED. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL POLICE OFFICERS BE PROVIDED WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART PROTECTIVE VESTS, THAT POLICE AGENCIES EDUCATE OFFICERS IN THE ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE VESTS, AND THAT RECRUITS BE REQUIRED TO WEAR THE ARMOR FROM THE BEGINNING OF THEIR POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING.