Cover caption: The Office of Law Enforcement Standards assists the criminal justice, public safety,

and homeland security agencies make informed decisions when purchasing critical equipment,

primarily by developing performance standards for that equipment, and develops tools, procedures

and guidelines to help them do their work more effectively. Our logo (center) reflects some of the

projects that we conduct: DNA research, arson research, forensic sciences and law enforcement

weapons and equipment. Shown on the cover are pictures that represent some of the projects in our

portfolio: development of standards for ballistic resistance of personal body armor and handcuffs

and users’ guides for chemical and biological protective equipment.

THE ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERING LABORATORY

One of NIST’s seven Measurement and Standards Laboratories, EEEL conducts research, provides measurement services,

and helps set standards in support of: the fundamental electronic

technologies of semiconductors, magnetics, and superconductors; information and communications technologies, such as

fiber optics, photonics, microwaves, electronic displays, and

electronics manufacturing supply chain collaboration; forensics

and security measurement instrumentation; fundamental and

practical physical standards and measurement services for

electrical quantities; maintaining the quality and integrity of

electrical power systems; and the development of nanoscale

and microelectromechanical devices. EEEL provides support to

law enforcement, corrections, and criminal justice agencies,

including homeland security.

EEEL consists of four programmatic divisions and two matrixmanaged offices:

Semiconductor Electronics Division

Optoelectronics Division

Quantum Electrical Metrology Division

Electromagnetics Division

Office of Microelectronics Programs

Office of Law Enforcement Standards

This document describes the technical programs of the Office

of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES). Similar documents

describing the other Divisions and Offices are available. Contact NIST/EEEL, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8100, Gaithersburg,

MD 20899-8100, Telephone: (301) 975-2220, On the Web:

www.eeel.nist.gov
ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERING LABORATORY

OFFICE OF LAW

ENFORCEMENT

STANDARDS

PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, AND

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

NISTIR 7182

January 2005

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Donald L. Evans, Secretary

Technology Administration

Phillip J. Bond, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Hratch G. Semerjian, Acting Director
Any mention of commercial products is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology nor does it imply

that the products mentioned are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards iii

CONTENTS

Welcome ................................................................................................................................. v

Mission ............................................................................................................................. v

Organization ..................................................................................................................... v

Developing Performance Standards................................................................................. v

Weapons and Protective Systems ........................................................................................... 1

Cops’ Bullet Proof Vests – Testing of ZYLON®-Based Body Armor:

A Component of the Body Armor Safety Initiative .......................................................... 1

Cops’ Bullet Proof Vests – Applied Research to Understand Degradation

Mechanisms/Review of Ballistic and Stab Standards: A Component of the

Body Armor Safety Initiative ........................................................................................... 4

Investigation of Body Armor Failure: Identification of Factors Contributing

to the Degradation of Polymers in Ballistic Fibers ........................................................... 4

Correlation of the Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Polymeric Materials

with Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor .......................................................... 6

Improvements to Quality Assurance and Armor Testing Methods .................................. 8

Blunt Trauma Research and Development of an Improved Test Methodology ............... 8

NIJ Standard–0106.01, Ballistic Helmets ....................................................................... 10

NIJ Standard–0108.01, Ballistic Resistance of Protective Materials ............................. 10

Development of a Frangible Ammunition Selection Guide and Performance Standard .. 11

NIJ Standard–0104.02, Riot Helmets and Face Shields................................................. 13

Detection, Inspection, and Enforcement Technologies ........................................................ 15

NIJ Standard–0601.02, Walk-Through Metal Detectors for Use in

Concealed Weapon and Contraband Detection ............................................................. 15

NIJ Standard–0602.02, Handheld Metal Detectors for Use in

Concealed Weapon and Contraband Detection ............................................................. 16

Development of Evaluation Standards for Face Recognition Systems ......................... 18

Portable X-Ray Systems for Bomb Disarmament and Search ...................................... 18

Technologies for Traffic Speed and Red Light Enforcement ......................................... 19

Dielectric Measurements of Building Materials ............................................................. 20

Chemical Systems and Materials .......................................................................................... 22

Oleoresin Capsicum Canister Study ............................................................................... 22

Evaluation of Equipment for Detection of Drugs and Alcohol in Saliva......................... 23

Forensic Sciences ................................................................................................................. 26

Standard Reference Test Data Set for Computer Forensics ......................................... 26

Computer Forensics Tools Testing (CFTT) .................................................................... 26

National Software Reference Library (NSRL) ............................................................. 27

Standard Bullet and Casing Reference Materials.......................................................... 27

Refractive Index Glass Standard Reference Material .................................................. 27

DNA Related Projects ................................................................................................... 28
iv Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

Public Safety Communication Standards .............................................................................. 31

Standardization Efforts Related to Telecommunication

and Information Technology Interoperability .................................................................. 31

Critical Incident Technologies ............................................................................................... 34

First Responder CBRNE Protective and Operational Equipment Standards

Development Program ................................................................................................... 36

Office of Law Enforcement Standards Organization (810.02) ............................................ 41
Office of Law Enforcement Standards v

WELCOME

The Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) helps criminal justice, public safety and

homeland security agencies make informed decisions when purchasing critical equipment, primarily by developing performance standards for that equipment, and develops tools, procedures

and guidelines to help them do their work more effectively. OLES is part of the Electronics and

Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). OLES, with a staff of 14, is located on the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

MISSION

Since its founding in 1971, OLES’ primary mission has been to develop minimum performance

standards – technical performance criteria that can be used to evaluate equipment and determine whether it performs safely, effectively and dependably. A general description of OLES’

standards development process is described in the section below.

Over the past 33 years, that mission and OLES’ responsibilities to the nation have grown.

Today OLES also develops reference materials (RMs) and standard reference materials (SRMs)

for use in test procedures and to calibrate equipment. OLES authors equipment user guides,

designs methods for examining evidentiary materials, and provides technical advice and assistance to agencies throughout the criminal justice, public safety and homelands security communities. OLES staff members hold memberships in scores of technical and scientific organizations, chair technical and policymaking committees in several of those organizations, and work

closely with technical experts throughout the public and private sectors.

ORGANIZATION

OLES is a project management organization that designs and manages standards-development

and research projects on behalf of agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security

(DHS), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and others.

Within OLES are six program areas: Weapons and Protective Systems; Detection, Inspection,

and Enforcement Technologies; Chemical Systems and Materials; Forensic Sciences; Public

Safety Communication Standards; and Critical Incident Technologies. These program areas

conduct a vast range of projects related to protective clothing, communication systems, investigative aids, security devices, traffic enforcement equipment, vehicles, weapons and ammunition, detection of concealed weapons and explosives, forensic science, homeland security, and

domestic preparedness.

Proposed and continuing projects within each program area for FY2005 are described in this

publication.

DEVELOPING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Developing performance standards is OLES’ primary activity, and the process OLES follows in

that work provides a good illustration of the organization and its function.

Developing a performance standard begins when the criminal justice, public safety or homeland

security community identifies the need for a certain type of equipment to perform at a certain

level in the field. A bullet-resistant vest must stop a new type of ammunition. A metal detector

must be sensitive enough for thorough screening of airline passengers. A respirator must allow

first responders to work safely in a chemical, biological or radiological hot zone.
vi Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

OLES talks to equipment users to refine our understanding of how the equipment is employed

and under what conditions. OLES designs research projects to gather information from manufacturers and technical experts, and to evaluate the capabilities of equipment available on the

market. OLES formulates a set of performance criteria that the particular type of equipment

must meet to be considered adequate. Then OLES devises tests that can be used to determine

if a piece of equipment meets the criteria. Together, the performance criteria and the test

methods make up what is called a minimum performance standard.

The draft minimum performance standard is reviewed and commented on by practitioners,

manufacturers, technical experts, government agencies and other parties with a professional

interest in the standard. After required revisions, the minimum performance standard is published and distributed, along with a report that provides manufacturers and designers with detailed technical information about the standard, and a user guide to help agencies and their

personnel understand the standard and properly select, use and maintain the equipment.

The projects listed in this publication are those that OLES has proposed for Fiscal Year

2005. The actual portfolio of projects is being negotiated as this publication goes to print.

For additional information about OLES, please visit us at http://www.eeel.nist.gov/oles.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 1

WEAPONS AND PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS

OLES’ Weapons and Protective Systems program

is responsible for some of the organization’s most

successful efforts. It provides ongoing technical

support and research for the National Institute of

Justice (NIJ) standard for ballistic-resistant body

armor (bullet-resistant vests), which OLES first developed for NIJ in 1972. The body armor program

is part of NIJ’s successful Law Enforcement and

Corrections Standards and Testing Program,

through which companies may have their products

voluntarily certified as compliant with the standard.

Ballistic-resistant body armor has been credited with

saving more than 2500 lives, and the program’s

evaluations of new materials and ballistic threats

and its revisions of the standard help ensure the

continued effectiveness of this technology.

The Weapons and Protective Systems program also

develops and supports other equipment performance standards vital to the safety of law enforcement and corrections personnel, including stabresistant body armor; ballistic helmets; riot helmets

and face shields; bomb suits; metallic handcuffs;

and firearms. It is evaluating new “smart gun” technologies and developing a test protocol for gunlocks, as well as working toward the country’s first

standard for armored cars to protect our nation’s

leaders, diplomats and visiting dignitaries.

This year, under the Weapons and Protective Systems program area, OLES will provide: 1) technical

support for standards that are active under the NIJ

Compliance Testing Program; 2) conduct and oversee research that will lead to revision of existing

equipment performance standards to address the

current state of technology or to improve test methodologies; and 3) conduct and oversee research

that will lead to the publication of new equipment

performance standards, test protocols, or technology assessments because the law enforcement and

corrections communities have indicated the need

for these. Projects in each of these three categories will now be described.

COPS’ BULLET PROOF VESTS –

TESTING OF ZYLON®-BASED BODY

ARMOR: A COMPONENT OF THE BODY

ARMOR SAFETY INITIATIVE

GOALS

The objective of this project is to conduct a comprehensive testing program to address concerns

with the ongoing ballistic-resistant performance of

ZYLON-based body armor in response to the Department of Justice’s Body Armor Safety Initiative,

announced by Attorney General John Ashcroft on

November 18, 2003. This initiative came in response

to concerns raised by the public safety community

and members of Congress regarding the performance of ZYLON-based armor. ZYLON is the trade

name for a high strength ballistic fiber known as

poly(p-phenylenebenzoxazole) (PBO).

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Neither the NIJ Standard–0101.04, “Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor,” nor the current

Body Armor Compliance Testing Program were originally intended to address the ongoing performance

of used ballistic-resistant body armor. Ensuring

ongoing ballistic-resistant performance has always

been the responsibility of the body armor manufacturer. The ZYLON-based body armor concern

has heightened an industry-wide awareness that

ongoing ballistic performance must be satisfactorily addressed. Determinations and findings of this

testing program are expected to highlight significant problems with some samples of body armor,

lead to improved body armor performance standards, and very likely produce fundamental changes

in the Compliance Testing Program, ultimately benefiting the users of body armor. The primary benefit anticipated will be the implementation of ongoing conformity assessment methods that will give

criminal justice and public safety officers greater

confidence in the performance of body armor.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Multiple test efforts comprise this project: 1) Forest Hills Vest Study, 2) Ballistic Performance Tests

to Determine ZYLONDegradation in Used Armor

(which consists of up to three phases), and 3) Testing of Upgrade Kits. A brief summary of the test

components follows. None of these testing initiatives will provide information on the mechanisms

that lead to the performance degradation of armor.

This will be addressed in the applied research effort described under a separate but integrated

project.

FOREST HILLS VEST STUDY

In the Body Armor Safety Initiative, Attorney General John Ashcroft directed NIJ to conduct an immediate review of both new and used ZYLON-based

bullet resistant vests to ensure that they are effective. The Attorney General also directed NIJ to

Technical Contact:

Kirk Rice

Michael Riley

Staff-Years:

15
2 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

include in this testing effort the upgrade kits provided by manufacturers to retrofit ZYLON-based

armor.

Prior to the Attorney General’s announcement,

OLES, at the request of NIJ, initiated a study to

determine the cause of the bullet penetration of the

ZYLON body armor being worn by a police officer

in Forest Hills, Pennsylvania. This was the first

known instance in which an NIJ-compliant armor

model appears to have failed to stop a bullet that it

was designed to defeat. The study of the Forest

Hills vest penetration and the broader study of

ZYLON-based body armor will assist in developing an appropriate standards and testing process

for monitoring and ensuring the ongoing performance of NIJ-compliant body armor during its intended operational life. The following is a summary of the preliminary findings:

# The firearm and ammunition used during the

shooting incident were examined to determine the

expected bullet velocity. This examination indicated

that the bullet velocity was not greater than the

velocity used during NIJ compliance testing.

# The bullet materials (chemical and mechanical

properties) were similar to the bullets normally used

for compliance testing; however, some minor differences were observed in the geometry and deformation characteristics of the two bullet types.

# Tensile strengths of single yarns removed from

the rear panel of the Forest Hills armor were up to

30 % lower than yarns from the “new” armors supplied by the body armor manufacturer for this study.

The reduction in tensile strength of the Forest Hills

panel is considered significant, although other factors also may have contributed to the armor penetration (e.g., shot location, shot angle, bullet rotational speed, armor stitching, etc.).

Since the ZYLON in the incident vest was found to

be much weaker than expected, it is necessary to

test armor that has been weakened to a condition

matching that of the penetrated vest. Several potential degradation mechanisms that could account

for the loss in mechanical strength were considered. An aging process was initiated to achieve

uniform degradation of the materials. Polymer scientists from NIST established the conditions under which this aging is taking place. This aging

involves holding the test specimens at elevated

conditions of temperature and humidity, and periodically subjecting extracted yarns to tensile tests

until the degraded properties are achieved.

After the weakened yarn mechanical properties are

attained, the remainder of the ballistics series will

continue. That experimental series is statistically

designed to explore variations in bullet type, shot

angle, vest conditions, barrel twist, and shot location to determine which factors, or combination of

factors, leads to a greater risk of vest penetration.

Concurrent with this aging process, materials characterization testing will be performed by the NIST

laboratories on yarn specimens from the rear panel

of the officer’s vest, yarn specimens removed periodically from the aging vest panels, yarn specimens removed from compliance test program

samples, and yarn specimens removed from other

body armor samples to explore whether any obvious chemical or physical differences exist. Tests

will include mechanical properties testing and spectroscopic analysis to determine evidence of degradation and presence of residual surface contaminants from manufacturing processes. This examination is expected to provide a much better understanding of the most likely contributing factors that

led to the penetration.

DELIVERABLES OF THE FOREST HILLS VEST

STUDY:

• A report documenting findings from the Forest Hills

Vest Study.

BALLISTIC TESTS TO IDENTIFY EVIDENCE

OF ZYLON DEGRADATION IN USED

ARMOR

There are nearly 240 different models of ZYLONbased ballistic-resistant body armor from 16 different manufacturers that have been found to comply

with either NIJ Standard–0101.04 or –0101.03, “Ballistic Resistance of Police Body Armor.” It is estimated that there are/were at least 300,000 ZYLONbased armors in field use. Drawing valid conclusions about all ZYLON-based armor performance

requires a significant testing effort. A three-phase,

statistically-based test plan was developed that will

help ensure that a representative sampling of used

armors (e.g. different manufacturers, threat levels,

designs, environmental conditions, age, etc.) will

be tested. A brief summary of these three phases

follows.

PHASE I – “WORST CASE TESTING”

A set of abbreviated ballistic tests (V50 and penetration) will be performed on a limited number of

used ZYLON armors that were heavily worn and

exposed to conditions that might adversely affect

their ballistic performance (e.g., heat, humidity, UV,

age, improper care, and abuse). V50 testing is used
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 3

to determine if there is a shift in ballistic performance that might be indicative of armor degradation. This “worst-case” testing phase will quickly

indicate whether performance issues exist with

ZYLON armor in field use.

The vests will be subjected to normal ballistic penetration testing. The original compliance testing

would have required six shots of one caliber (bullet

type) on the ballistic panel, and a different ballistic

panel would have received six shots of a second

caliber (bullet type). This plan calls for the same

two bullet types to be used, except both bullet types

will be fired into the same panel; three shots of one

caliber and three shots of the other. Furthermore,

backface signature measurements (measurement of

deformation of the ballistic material as a result of

bullet impact) will be made for the first 0-degree

shot of each bullet type, which again is consistent

with the methods used in the NIJ Standards (-03

and -04 versions). The “penetration” tests are

planned for the front panel of each vest. A “V50

ballistic limit” test is planned for each back panel.

The results of these tests will be used to determine

1) if penetrations occur, and 2) if there has been a

significant degradation in V50 measurements when

compared to data obtained during original NIJ compliance testing.

PHASE II – “LARGE SCALE TESTING”

The scope of the Department of Justice’s Body

Armor Safety Initiative is much broader than looking at only one model of ZYLON-based armor, and

one cannot reliably assume that multiple used vests

of the same model will perform similarly because

their usage histories and environmental exposures

will be different. For this reason, direct application

of the NIJ standard for evaluating used armor has

always been considered inappropriate. To overcome this limitation, this test program relies on randomly sampling ZYLON-based vests in use around

the country and subjecting them to a modified ballistics test protocol that is similar to and consistent

with the NIJ test methodology.

The purpose of this broad-based testing phase is

to assess the ongoing performance of a broad

“cross section” of ZYLON-based body armor in

field use. Approximately 500 vests will be randomly

selected from five different geographic regions, five

different age categories, and four different manufacturer categories for a total of 100 sampling combinations or “bins.” These vests will be subjected

to a set of ballistic tests similar to those in Phase I.

The results of these tests will be statistically evaluated and compared to baseline data obtained during original NIJ compliance testing. While this plan

does not test all ZYLON-based armor, the design

of the plan ensures that valid statistical conclusions can be made about ZYLON-based armor. The

NIST Statistical Engineering Division (SED)

stresses the importance of sampling randomly

within each of these bins. Because the selection of

vests will be random, the profile of the sample will

look like a “cross section” of what is currently in

service.

Failure rates obtained from the numerous six-shot

front panel tests will be analyzed to determine if the

failure rate exceeds that which might be expected

from new armor. This approach establishes the

current standard’s requirements for 0-penetrations

in 48-shots as the benchmark for “safety.”

The V50 ballistic limit test results for the 04-standard models also will be examined to determine if

there is a consistent shift in ballistic-resistance performance when compared to the baseline V50s that

were generated when that armor model was tested

for compliance to the 04-standard. This testing

phase will also be integrated with the applied research project, and vests showing signs of degraded performance (based on V50 results) or yielding penetrations during routine testing will be examined further in a variety of chemical and physical tests. In addition, vests that show little signs of

change will also be sampled for further study.

Because the scale of testing is fairly large (ballistic

tests on 1000 panels – 2 panels per vest), OLES will

be issuing a contract(s) to commercial test

laboratory(ies) to conduct this testing. Logistics

associated with this contracting process are currently being addressed. The acquisition of appropriate body armor test specimens represents a significant logistic hurdle. The resources of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program will be relied upon

to obtain body armor in field use and to make arrangements for compensation to participating agencies.

PHASE III – “ADDITIONAL TESTING”

After analysis of the data from Phases I and II, it

may become necessary to perform additional tests.

The data from the first two phases will be looked at

from many perspectives to determine whether any

definitive conclusions can be drawn regarding

ZYLONdegradation and potential contributing factors. If the incidence of failure indicates a “potential” problem under a certain combination of factors (i.e., Manufacturer X; Model Y; Age greater

than Z years; specific design features, etc.), addi-
4 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

tional testing may be needed to validate whether

there is a true problem. It is envisioned that this

testing, if necessary, would be similar in size/scope

to Phase I.

DELIVERABLES OF THE ZYLON BALLISTIC TESTS:

• A report stating whether there are indications of

ZYLON degradation, evidenced by increased rates of

bullet penetrations, as determined from the Phase I

“worst case” tests.

• A contract establishing a mechanism for accomplishing the Phase II tests.

• A report summarizing the findings of the Phase II

ballistic tests on 500 random samples of body armor.

• If Phase III is conducted, then a report summarizing

the results will be produced.

TESTING OF UPGRADE KITS

One body armor manufacturer has offered upgrade

kits for use with certain models of body armor. The

Body Armor Safety Initiative directs that the performance of these upgrade kits be assessed. Vests

that are considered to be “degraded” will be tested

with the upgrade kits to determine if the combination of the two can consistently prevent bullet penetrations when tested in accordance with a test

protocol that is similar to that used in Phase I testing described earlier. Additional tests will be conducted to estimate the relative gain afforded by

inclusion of the upgrade kit. This will be estimated

from V50 tests done with and without the upgrade

kits.

DELIVERABLES OF THE TESTING OF UPGRADE

KITS:

• A report summarizing findings of ballistic tests on

upgrade packages.

COPS’ BULLET PROOF VESTS –

APPLIED RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND

DEGRADATION MECHANISMS/REVIEW

OF BALLISTIC AND STAB STANDARDS:

A COMPONENT OF THE BODY ARMOR

SAFETY INITIATIVE

This general project area is a direct result of the

Department of Justice’s Body Armor Safety Initiative. This general project area complements the

ballistic testing project area. While the ballistic

testing projects address some of the concerns with

the ongoing ballistic-resistant performance of

ZYLON-based body armor, they will not lead to an

understanding of what improvements are needed

to address armor design, material selection, ongoing quality assurance, and conformity assessment

issues, all of which have become apparent as a

result of the initial examination of the Forest Hills

incident. This general project area addresses those

concerns. This general project area consists of

two major components. Each component consists

of two subprojects. Each of these subprojects will

be presented as a stand-alone project:

# Applied Research Program

- “Investigation of Body Armor Failure: Identification of Factors Contributing to the Degradation of Polymers in Ballistic Fibers.”

- “Correlation of the Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Polymeric Materials with Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor.”

# Review of Standards and Testing Program

- “Improvements to Quality Assurance and

Armor Testing Methods.”

- “Blunt Trauma Research and Development

of an Improved Test Methodology.”

The objective of the projects under the Applied

Research Program is to provide a thorough understanding of the degradation mechanisms that affect ballistic-resistant body armor so that improvements can be made to the NIJ body armor standard,

and advancements can be made in ballistic-resistant technologies. Two polymers groups at NIST

are undertaking studies to identify body armor degradation mechanisms, establish sensitivities of the

ballistic materials to environmental stressors, identify chemical changes and reactions responsible

for strength loss, and initiate the development of

standardized chemical or physical protocols for

assessing, screening, and predicting the service

life of fibers used in ballistic applications.

The objective of the projects under the Review of

Standards and Testing Program is to identify improvements to the NIJ body armor standard and its

associated Compliance Testing Program. These

improvements are expected to define rigorous conformity assessment procedures to ensure acceptable long-term ballistic performance of soft body

armor, and define improved test methods for evaluating body armor.

INVESTIGATION OF BODY ARMOR

FAILURE: IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS

CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEGRADATION

OF POLYMERS IN BALLISTIC FIBERS

GOALS

The objectives of the proposed research are to: 1)

identify chemical changes and reactions respon-
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 5

sible for strength loss in poly(phenylenebenzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers; 2) to identify the exposure variables, acting individually or in combination, that initiate and accelerate these chemical

changes and reaction(s); 3) to study and model

fiber degradation kinetics; and 4) to initiate the development of a standardized chemical or physical

protocol for assessing, screening, and predicting

the service lives of fibers used in ballistic applications.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Identification and comprehensive understanding

of the chemical reactions responsible for the loss

of mechanical strength in PBO ballistic fibers will

lead to improvements in the selection of durable

and reliable fibers used in body armor. The development of a scientifically-based protocol for screening, testing, and comparing the long-term performance of new and existing fibers for use in ballistic

applications will have long term benefits in identifying fibers having improved long-term ballistic

performance.

Recent field failures of body armor manufactured

from PBO fibers have underscored the need to study

the service life of these ballistic fibers under a variety of environmental and operating conditions.

Manufacturer-supplied data, as well as tests conducted by other commercial research laboratories

and governmental labs, have indicated that PBO

fiber (which is relatively new in the ballistic armor

arena) undergoes degradation in tensile strength

following exposure to temperature, moisture and

light. Degradation on this level has not yet been

observed with more established materials such as

Kevlar or Spectra fiber. An extensive and ongoing

review of the scientific literature has revealed that

neither systematically controlled experiments involving relevant environmental factors, nor detailed

chemical analysis of the mechanisms and kinetics

of fiber degradation, have yet been carried out. The

proposed research will address these issues.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

PHASE I: IDENTIFICATION OF CHEMICAL

INDICATORS OF PBO FIBER TENSILE

STRENGTH LOSS

The initial six-month phase of the proposed research will focus on the identification of chemical

indicators of PBO fiber tensile strength loss; systematic characterization of PBO fibers; procurement

of needed equipment; and development of an experimental design for Phase II of the proposed research. In the initial portion of Phase I, a number of

PBO materials will be characterized and their chemical properties compared. Materials to be analyzed

will include, but not be limited to, yarns extracted

from 1) the back panel of the Forest Hills vest that

failed in-service, 2) new vests, 3) vests that have

been used in the field, and 4) virgin spool yarn. In

addition to identifying chemical and physical differences between the specimens, this phase will

allow us to determine which analytical techniques

are the most sensitive in detecting chemical changes

that reflect subsequent losses in mechanical

strength. The analyses that will be performed and

their expected capabilities are as follows:

# Molecular Spectroscopy (infrared, UV-visible,

x-ray, NMR, Raman): To assess differences in fiber

chemistry, e.g., determine if any hydrolysis has occurred, as well as detect possible degradation products or impurities.

# Atomic Spectroscopy (emission spectrometry,

atomic absorption spectroscopy): To identify the

presence of trace elements such as phosphorus

from residual polyphosphoric acid.

# X-ray Diffraction, Neutron Scattering: To determine if any differences in crystallinity or crystal

structure exist between various fiber specimens.

# Moisture Absorption (thermogravimetric

analysis, moisture sorption analysis): To measure

equilibrium moisture content and to measure kinetics of water absorption as a function of temperature and humidity.

# Water and Organic Solvent Extraction: To identify soluble degradation products, fiber additives

or sizings, residual polyphosphoric acid, etc., as

analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or infrared spectroscopy.

# Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis: To

obtain information on fiber modulus, damping and

thermal transitions.

# Tensile Testing: To measure the tensile

strength, modulus and elongation of the fibers/

yarns.

To determine whether environmental factors such

as temperature, humidity and ultraviolet (UV) exposure produce measurable changes in the fibers,

virgin yarn will also be subjected to a short-term

high temperature, high humidity and high intensity

UV-visible radiation exposure in our UV weathering chambers. Chemical, physical and mechanical

analyses as described above will be carried out on

the exposed specimens as a function of time.
6 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

PHASE II: CHANGES IN FIBER

PROPERTIES AS A FUNCTION OF

TEMPERATURE, RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AND

SPECTRAL RADIATION

We plan to initiate a statistically designed experiment on PBO and other commercially available ballistic fibers, focusing on, but not limited to, the

individual and combined effects of temperature,

humidity and ultraviolet-visible radiation. The ballistic fibers will be tested in specially designed test

fixtures in the integrating sphere-based weathering device, and changes in chemical, physical and

mechanical properties will be analyzed via the most

sensitive chemical techniques identified in Phase I.

Materials will be exposed to different treatments

throughout FY2005 and FY2006, with fiber analyses occurring concurrently. As the experimental

data becomes available, a scientific model will be

derived and refined to explain the experimental observations.

Materials that will be tested include single fibers,

yarns and woven fabrics. Temperatures and relative humidities that span the range of normal use

will be used as factors in the study, as well as more

extreme temperatures and relative humidities that

may be encountered during storage and immersion.

UV-visible spectral intensity and UV-visible spectral distribution are also important environmental

factors. Of particular interest is to determine and

model the degradation kinetics as a function of these

environmental factors acting alone and in combination. Another interest is to identify the wavelengths of light that contribute the most to

photodegradation, if it is indeed observed. This

study will provide information on the antagonistic

relationships that could exist between temperature,

humidity, UV as well as other environmental and

processing variables that are not known at this time.

Specific chemical, physical and mechanical measurements that will be carried out will be determined

following the completion of Phase I (FY2004 research). Mechanical testing in this phase will be

carried out on yarns using a standard test frame

equipped with a fiber tensile testing accessory, and

on single fibers with the single fiber testing apparatus in the Polymers Division. If fabric specimens

are of sufficient size, ballistic testing can also be

carried out on the woven fabrics after exposure on

the integrating sphere.

The results that are obtained will provide critical

data towards gaining an understanding of the factors responsible for the degradation of ballistic fibers, and will also lead to the development of reliable and effective methods for screening and accelerated durability testing. Ultimately, both savings in costs and lives can be realized.

DELIVERABLES

• Report on chemical analysis of failed and new

vests.

CORRELATION OF THE MECHANICAL

AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF

POLYMERIC MATERIALS WITH

BALLISTIC RESISTANCE OF PERSONAL

BODY ARMOR

GOALS

To prevent catastrophic failure of personal body

armor by developing tests and standards of assessment for the reliability of the active polymeric

materials that comprise them.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

It is known that virgin PBO fibers can offer ballistic

performance that is superior to other fibers on the

market (e.g., Kevlar). This potentially leads to protective systems made with PBO fibers that are thinner and therefore are more comfortable to wear.

Recent incidents and experimental data from industry, however, suggest that the ballistic performance

of PBO fibers is reduced by exposure to hydrolysis

and UV-photolysis environmental. Some other fibers have also been shown to have the same susceptibility; therefore, a more detailed investigation

is warranted.

Figure 1. Chemistry of preparation and structure of

poly(p-phenylenebenzoxazole) (PBO) fibers. Fibers

made from the reaction of 1,3-diamino-4,

6-dihydroxybenzene (DADHB) dihydrochloride with

terephthalic acid (TA) with poly(phosphoric acid) (PPA)

as a catalyst.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 7

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

We will expose virgin PBO fibers to controlled hydrolysis and UV-photolysis conditions, using testing equipment that is purchasable by industrial organizations (e.g., zenon lamp, oven with humidity

control). Using analytical techniques, including

the single fiber (SF) test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, multi-angle laser light

scattering (MALLS), and electron spin resonance

(ESR) spectroscopy with radical trapping, we will

characterize the impact of the degradation processes on PBO material properties. These results

will be compared with those obtained from the UV

weathering chamber studies in the related research

project. Finally, we will correlate the combined results with those obtained from ballistic resistance

tests to identify optimal measurement methods for

determining overall ballistic resistance from fiber/

yarn samples.

On a parallel track, we will study model compounds

that mimic the linkages and structure of the PBO

fiber. To determine the role of residual acid on the

degradation process, we will also include

poly(phosphoric) acid (PPA) in the model testing

matrix (see Figure 1 for PPA’s role in the synthesis

of PBO). These results will be used to quantify the

degradation rates by UV and hydrolysis, which will

allow us to determine whether UV or moisture is

more damaging to the PBO system and allow its

quantitation in polymeric materials. We will employ these results in developing test methodologies that aid in the certification of PBO-based protective equipment.

Results from the above test matrix will then be used

to develop methodologies that quantify the rate of

degradation and its impact on the ballistic performance of PBO fibers. Other techniques not previously identified may be required at this point.

Based on what we have learned, the performance

of other ballistic fibers will be quantified.

DELIVERABLES

• All exposed and virgin fibers characterized by the

best available analytical techniques, to include NMR,

FTIR, etc.

• Hydrolysis and UV-photolysis failure mechanisms

for PBO fibers determined.

• Impact of hydrolysis and UV-photolysis on PBO

material properties, i.e., modulus, tensile strength,

strain-to-failure, and molecular weight, quantified.

• Since the above three material properties are used

to determine the ballistic performance of fibers, the

change in the properties with degradation should give

a quantitative estimate of how the protective equipment will perform via the ballistic performance

parameter, U*.

where

= fiber ultimate axial tensile strength

= fiber ultimate tensile strain

= fiber density

= fiber modulus (assumed to be linear elastic)

• Results of literature reviews in current knowledge

base regarding PBO degradation and analyses of

possible failure mechanisms.

• Report summarizing the results of the following

tests:

- Initial tests performed on virgin PBO fibers and

PBO fibers from vests (Forest Hills Officer’s vest and

vest that has been in storage) to look for spectral

differences using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies.

(Test results obtained from at least 5 different

locations.)

- Initial Single Fiber (SF) tests on virgin PBO fibers

and PBO fibers from vests to look for differences in

strain-to-failure, modulus, and ultimate tensile strength.

Test results obtained from (40 to 50) fibers from 5

different locations

• Review article on hydrolytic and UV stability of

benzoxazole ring structures, which is of particular

interest due the fact that the benzoxazole ring is the

key structural component in PBO.

• Issue report summarizing:

- Complete spectral test results (NMR & IR) on virgin

PBO fibers and PBO fibers from vests, including

effects of humidity and UV radiation on virgin PBO

fibers.

- Complete SF test results on virgin PBO fibers and

PBO fibers from vests, including effects of humidity

and UV radiation on virgin PBO fibers

- Results of preliminary tests on virgin PBO fibers

and PBO fibers from the vests to establish the

efficacy of using multi-angle laser light scattering to

monitor the rate of degradation and to look for

differences between the samples.

• Journal article/conference proceeding draft

prepared summarizing correlations between spectral,

single fiber, and ballistic resistance tests.

• Journal article/conference proceeding draft

prepared summarizing effects of moisture and

humidity on virgin PBO fibers characterized through

spectral analysis and single fiber tests.

• Model compound 3 synthesized.

• Journal article submitted on parallel hydrolytic/UV

degradation study of model compounds (including the

effects of residual acid).

• If MALLS experiments were determined to be a

feasible method for monitoring fiber degradation, then

journal article will be submitted.

• Standard test method developed for characterizing

ballistic PBO fibers.
8 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

• Results of similar studies on Kevlar fibers and other

systems of interest published.

IMPROVEMENTS TO QUALITY

ASSURANCE AND ARMOR TESTING

METHODS

GOALS

NIJ Standard–0101.04 was published in September,

2000, and improved with a minor revision, referred

to as “Revision A,” in June, 2001. The standard is

actively managed and regularly reviewed to stay

current with any new developments. OLES plays a

critical role in this process and remains current with

other relevant body armor research efforts being

conducted by others. The objective of this project

is to further strengthen the NIJ body armor standard and associated Compliance Testing Program

by incorporating improved test methods in a new

version of the standard and establishing an ongoing conformity assessment program.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

A critical review of the incident in Forest Hills and

subsequent discussions with the criminal justice

and public safety communities have made clear the

need for more oversight of ongoing body armor

performance. Gaps exist in the current ballisticresistant body armor standard and related Compliance Testing Program. Some of these gaps exist

because neither the NIJ Standard–0101.04 nor the

Compliance Testing Program were originally intended to address the ongoing performance of used

ballistic-resistant body armor. Other gaps are inherent in the standard because the standard addresses only “certification” of a “model” of body

armor, meaning that the model design meets certain

minimal performance requirements. Ensuring that

future production units comply with these requirements is not addressed by the standard; instead, it

is the responsibility of the body armor manufacturer to prove, and the purchasing authority to require, that new production units of body armor

comply with certain performance requirements.

There is much confusion about these issues among

body armor users and procurement officials. Addressing these issues will lead to fundamental

changes in the testing program.

By addressing the gaps described, the criminal justice and public safety communities will benefit because they will be assured that ongoing production units of body armor are inspected for conformity to ballistic-resistance requirements. The manufacturing industry will also benefit from improvements in the standardized test and measurement

methods.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Solutions to the gaps identified will take into account input from public safety agencies, organizations, and associations; manufacturers; and standards and testing organizations. Additionally, findings from the studies that examine ZYLON-based

armor and preliminary results from NIST’s other

applied research efforts will provide further insight

leading to recommendations that address the gaps.

With the emphasis on general Quality Assurance

issues and Testing and Measurement issues, there

will be heavy involvement and reliance on the statistical and conformity assessment disciplines at

NIST. Among the areas to address under Quality

Assurance are laboratory accreditation programs,

used armor monitoring, and ongoing performance

assessments of certified models. Among the areas

to address under Testing and Measurement Improvements are V50 test methodologies and uncertainty analysis, investigations of V50 tests vis à

vis penetration tests, improvements in velocity

measurements, software development to structure

testing and automatically perform data analysis,

and the introduction of advisory statements that

address concerns with factors (for example, ultraviolet radiation and moisture) that may be detrimental to some body armor materials. Other efforts

are being planned to investigate additional improvements that could be incorporated into the standard, such as impact sensors, multiple shot resistance, flex testing, and alternative backing materials, but details on those studies will be presented

in the future.

DELIVERABLES

• Identification of key issues not currently addressed

by existing standards.

• Briefings to law enforcement, corrections, public

safety, and industry personnel on proposed changes

to the NIJ standard and testing program.

• A modified NIJ body armor standard.

• Plans for the establishment of an improved

conformity assessment system.

BLUNT TRAUMA RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPROVED TEST

METHODOLOGY

GOALS

This effort will focus on the development of an

enhanced technique for the evaluation of soft body
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 9

armor using biomechanical tests with modern instrumentation and the creation of a robust test

methodology for the evaluation of injury risk from

Behind Armor Blunt Trauma (BABT).

CUSTOMER NEEDS

An area identified in the current NIJ standard that

requires further attention is related to test fixturing

and the backface deformation performance requirement that is often associated with the threat due to

BABT. Deformation of the body armor during the

ballistic impact event may lead to injuries behind

the armor. Though the NIJ standard has been successful in defining a test methodology and performance requirements that led to effective body armor systems, the biomechanical basis for using clay

deformation to characterize BABT is uncertain.

First, unlike the clay, the human thorax is generally

viscoelastic. It is unlikely the response is appropriate for widely varying rates of deformation. The

current test methodology was validated using goat

experiments performed over 30 years ago. The test

is also not likely to be appropriate over wider ranges

of clay deformation. In addition, the standard does

not account for the “penciling effect.” This impact

does not penetrate the skin, but results in deep

deformation over a small area. The “penciling effect” may be frequently seen in soft body armor

backing.

Optimization of soft body armor systems requires a

more biofidelic coupling of the body armor and the

fixture on which it is mounted for testing. Shear

deformation properties of clay are substantially different than the shear properties for the human thorax. Thoracic deformations having the same deformation depths, but different cavity volumes may

have significantly different risks of serious injury,

and the standard does not address this possibility.

In addition, deficiencies identified with the clay

system argue for the development of a robust technique for BABT injury assessment. Beyond the

existing NIJ standard, there exists no generally accepted injury criterion for thoracic BABT.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Development of the enhanced technique for evaluating body armor will involve:

# Identification of a suitable biofidelic surrogate

for BABT assessments of soft body armor, perhaps a dummy that is robust, gives a repeatable

physical response, and responds in a human-like

manner. Generally, a surrogate should be as simple

as possible while still representing the relevant

human response. In the current NIJ standard, the

surrogate is the clay.

# Identification of a relevant engineering measurement – a physical parameter such as force or

acceleration – that may be used to quantify the

physical response of the dummy. Dummies may be

instrumented so that a measurement indicative of

the severity of the ballistic impact can be measured.

For instance, the current engineering measurement

in the NIJ standard is clay deformation.

# Establishment of an injury risk evaluation,

which is accomplished by correlating the engineering measurement and an injury model. The injury

risk evaluation is expected to be based on midthoracic injury tolerance levels. For example, in the

NIJ standard, the injury risk evaluation is based on

a maximum clay deformation of 44 mm.

# Validation of the injury model, which is accomplished by correlating the injury risk evaluation to

a physical model of injury. An injury risk model is

without value unless it can be successfully validated using: 1) epidemiology or physical reconstruction of actual injury events, 2) an animal injury model, or 3) a cadaveric human injury model.

Development of a relationship between a robust

surrogate for injury and a validated injury model is

crucial in the success of this approach. Without a

robust injury model based on animal testing, cadaveric testing, and/or epidemiology, the testing

performed with a dummy surrogate will be invalid.

The injury model for the NIJ standard includes animal tests that have been scaled to human values.

With the development of an instrumented surrogate, a two-step process for evaluating body armor

will be considered. The potential for bullet penetration would be assessed first on a surrogate with

minimal cost risk (i.e., should a penetration occur,

valuable instrumentation would not be lost). Following the penetration assessment, further tests

on an instrumented surrogate would assess the

potential for BABT impact injuries for those body

armor systems that pass the penetration tests.

DELIVERABLES

• Issue final report, including recommendations for

revisions to NIJ standard.
10 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

NIJ STANDARD–0106.01,

“BALLISTIC HELMETS”

GOALS

The objective of this project is to revise the NIJ

“Ballistic Helmets” standard and establish new

performance levels and test methods based on ballistic impact biomechanics research.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

The new standard will lead to improved helmet designs that will increase the probability of user survivability. It will also provide a standard in which

the user community has confidence. Customers

will also find that more test laboratories will be able

to perform this testing because of changes to the

equipment required for testing.

The current NIJ helmet standard is more than twenty

years old, was not regularly updated, and was not

based on ballistic impact biomechanical principles.

Research conducted in the “Study of Head Injuries

During Ballistic Loading of Helmets” by the University of Virginia Impact Biomechanics Center (under contract to the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command’s Natick Soldier Center

(NSC)) indicated that requirements in the existing

standard may not ensure adequate protection for

individuals wearing ballistic protective helmets

meeting the standard. Additionally, relatively few

helmets are certified to the existing standard due to

a number of reasons: NIJ does not administer a

formal Compliance Testing Program for ballistic

helmets; the test equipment is difficult to obtain;

and the performance levels are outdated and have

not kept pace with those defined in the ballisticresistant body armor standard. The new standard

will reduce the risk of serious injury due to ballistic

impacts, as well as standardize testing and performance requirements based on modern ballistic impact biomechanical principles.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

# Work will continue under the Biokinetics contract. Numerous issues will be addressed: 1) the

current revision only addresses threats up to level

II, while existing helmet technologies can readily

provide higher levels of protection; 2) the threat

definitions in the current revision are different from

those in the recently updated ballistic-resistant

body armor standard; 3) instrumentation for assessing helmet performance has improved dramatically; and 4) head trauma research has led to a better understanding of injury mechanisms and injury

risk criteria. A newly developed ballistic helmet

test rig will be used to validate the improved test

method.

# A draft revised standard will be written and

sent out for comment and review.

DELIVERABLES

• Validation tests conducted under contract.

• Test equipment and instrumentation.

• Draft revised standard.

NIJ STANDARD–0108.01,

“BALLISTIC RESISTANCE OF

PROTECTIVE MATERIALS”

GOALS

The objective of this project is to revise the NIJ

standard that establishes minimum performance

requirements and methods of test for ballistic resistant protective materials.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Law enforcement agencies rely on the NIJ Standard–0108.01 to ensure the quality and reliability

of ballistic resistant materials used for personal protection purposes. These materials are of many

types, and can be found in shields, ballistic resistant plates, and vehicle armor.

The current revision of the standard, NIJ Standard–

0108.01 was released in September 1985. It added

ballistic threat level IIIA and established threat level

classifications that were consistent with other NIJ

standards for ballistic protection. Since that time,

an extensive amount of work has been done leading to the improved body armor standard, NIJ Standard–0101.04. The current NIJ Standard–0108.01

does not reflect any of the improvements that were

recently introduced into the ballistic resistant body

armor standard, and harmonizing the test methods

and threat levels of the two ballistic standards is

important.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

# The review of the draft revision of the standard will be completed. The revision will include:

1) introduction of a V50 ballistic limit test methodology; 2) updating of the ballistic threats; and 3)

specification of formal test procedures that require

a uniform reporting style.

# A validation test matrix will be developed and

materials to support the tests will be procured.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 11

# A determination will be made whether to include testing of transparent materials in the revised

standard or to develop a separate performance standard for those materials.

# All test methods will be validated through experimental testing.

# The draft standard will be submitted to user

and technical committees for review and comment.

DELIVERABLES

• Revised draft standard, including comments.

• Validation test matrix.

• Summary report of validation tests.

• Final version of revised standard.

DEVELOPMENT OF A FRANGIBLE

AMMUNITION SELECTION GUIDE AND

PERFORMANCE STANDARD

GOALS

“Frangible ammunition” is ammunition loaded with

a bullet that is designed to shatter into small pieces

on impact with hard structural surfaces. The purpose of this project is to provide an in-depth understanding of bullets and soft armor materials leading to models and computer simulations of bullet/

armor interactions. Special attention will be directed

at frangible and other special materials/designs that

pose a potential threat to existing armor. To achieve

this objective we will also develop a dynamic material properties database for bullet and armor materials, including high rate and heating effects.

This project consists of three parts: 1) producing a

Selection Guide of existing frangible ammunition;

2) performing ballistic testing of frangible ammunition against various targets and developing modeling and simulation capabilities to better understand bullet and armor deformations and interactions; and 3) developing a performance standard

for frangible ammunition.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Key performance requirements of frangible rounds

are that they remain effective against their targets

without causing significant collateral damage due

to over-penetration of the target or ricochets. This

project will ensure that the frangible ammunition

used by criminal justice and public safety officers

meets minimum safety, quality, and performance

requirements. Additionally, changes to the NIJ

ballistic-resistant body armor standard may be necessary to ensure adequate protection from these

emerging threats. Protective equipment product

designers will design better equipment faster, taking into account the material properties of the

equipment and the threats to the officers. Government and industry researchers evaluating new

threats will have improved evaluation tools with

the new models developed as part of this project.

Criminal justice and public safety agencies are interested in frangible ammunition because of its

value in certain situations. For example, frangible

ammunition is ideal in some tactical applications to

minimize collateral damage. In other cases, some

training facilities are “lead-free,” and most frangible

ammunition can be utilized at these facilities because the materials used in the construction of the

bullet are often devoid of lead so that the bullet

possesses low ductility and can be readily shattered. Frangible ammunition is currently used by

several government agencies, state and local law

enforcement agencies, and other public safety agencies.

With increasing demand for frangible ammunition,

more products are becoming available on the open

market. Some recent reports have suggested that

frangible ammunition may pose a serious penetration threat to conventional soft body armor. This

highlights the need for further understanding of

the potential threats posed by this ammunition to

soft body armor. There are far too many different

types of bullets and armor material parameters to

experimentally assess all threats. However predictive modeling or computer simulations can provide

guidance to narrow the range of physical experiments to a manageable number. Final approval of a

particular design will always be done with actual

testing in accordance with NIJ Standards. The

models will assist in predicting the effectiveness of

the protective devices as well as limiting the number of tests in the design and evaluation stages.

The modeling and simulation of impact problems

such as bullets hitting a protective shield or armor

rely on dynamic material properties of the materials

involved. Traditionally the research into high rate

dynamic materials properties has been directed toward military types of armor plate and penetrating

projectiles. The methods used in military research

may be very helpful in analysis of protective equipment for law enforcement personnel; however, the

materials used in most law enforcement equipment

are very different. Effective models for soft armor

studies are only just beginning to be developed

and more research in this area is needed. Further

work in this area will examine system vulnerabilities and identify solutions to improve officer safety.
12 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

This effort began in mid-calendar year 2002. Because of increased national attention being directed

at this issue, a higher level of effort was expended

on this project to obtain some preliminary assessments of the relative threat posed by frangible ammunition to soft body armor and to determine the

types and extent of use of this type of ammunition.

Work from various agencies and other groups has

been compiled and reviewed. A survey was conducted to determine the extent of use and purpose

of frangible ammunition in many law enforcement

agencies. Patent searches were conducted to better understand fundamental differences between

various types of frangible bullet constructions. A

frangible ammo test matrix was developed and preliminary tests against conventional soft body armor were conducted. Initial results suggest a potentially serious problem.

Exploratory studies were conducted to determine if

some property of the bullet (such as compressive

strength) might correlate to observed behavior

against armor. For starters, a simple slow-rate compression test using a universal test machine to compare different bullets having similar geometries was

tried. Results were encouraging, but it became apparent that understanding the dynamic properties

of these materials was crucial to understanding their

impact behavior, and modeling and simulation capabilities in this area would prove extremely beneficial to understanding how body armor works

against conventional threats as well. The research

plan has been revised to address these important

areas for investigation.

Some long-lead time armor materials were procured

– shoot pack samples constructed from a variety of

different soft armor materials are now available.

Plans for an expanded study were developed so

that a broader range of the different types of frangible ammunition and armor systems were included:

# Perform conventional Kolsky bar tests, including high-speed video, of bullet materials (frangible

as well as conventional bullets). Perform a series

of novel dynamic diametral compression tests that

generate a tensile failure using the Kolsky bar apparatus.

# Compare dynamic mechanical properties to

those (compressive strength or shear strength)

obtained under quasi-static conditions. Determine

which correlate best with observed penetration

performance against armor.

# Study methods of testing soft body armor fibers at high loading rates and develop capability

for generating high-rate mechanical properties data

for a variety of ballistic-resistant materials.

# Perform literature search and interact with outside experts to assess the state-of-the-art in modeling bullet/soft armor interactions. Implement stateof-the-art computer model of soft armor/bullet interactions and develop a plan for improvement.

# Begin ballistic penetration performance tests

of frangible ammunition against a variety of targets

using new shoot packs.

# Develop a draft “Selection Guide for Frangible

Ammunition” that will identify existing frangible

ammunition types, models, calibers, and sources.

The guide will also discuss critical issues that users should consider when they select ammunition.

The guide will provide a reference for selection and

purchase of frangible ammunition for various criminal justice and public safety applications.

# Continue with ballistic penetration performance tests of frangible ammunition against a variety of targets.

# Continue development of first generation finite element model of the bullet/soft armor interactions.

# Complete tests on various bullet materials and

develop a database of these materials.

# Fabricate a single soft body armor fiber testing apparatus for high rate behavior.

# Incorporate test methods developed for ammunition performance characterization into a performance standard for frangible ammunition. This

may lead to the implementation of a formal Compliance Testing Program, through which frangible

ammunition could be formally tested against the

standard.

# Using the dynamic properties database, evaluate existing constitutive models for use in the finite

element model. Using the new fiber testing apparatus, measure the high rate behavior of pristine and

degraded body armor fibers. Perform appropriate

tests of real systems and use high-speed video

recording methods to evaluate and improve first

generation bullet finite element models.

# Perform appropriate experiments and measurements for evaluating the finite element modeling

using the NIST-developed constitutive equations

for fibers and bullets. Based on the improved un-
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 13

derstanding of the interactions of bullet and soft

armor, develop a road map for future studies.

DELIVERABLES

• A preliminary test report describing ammunition

performance against standard soft body armor

targets.

• Stress-strain curves for frangible and conventional

bullet materials.

• Brief report on the effectiveness of diametral

compression testing in providing fracture behavior of

frangible bullet materials.

• A progress report describing dynamic tensile testing

of single soft armor fibers.

• A report reviewing current status of soft armor

computer models and status of implementation of a

model useful for studying bullet deformation and armor

interactions.

• A draft of the “Selection Guide for Frangible

Ammunition”.

• Database of mechanical properties of frangible

bullets and comparisons with conventional bullets.

The database will include examples of measurements,

including high-speed videos, of deformations and

fractures to aid in the understanding of the processes

involved.

• Demonstrate an operating single fiber dynamic

testing apparatus and provide examples of data that

will be obtained.

• Demonstrate a first generation computer model of

bullet/soft armor interactions.

• Based on the database of the bullet materials

provide constitutive equations needed in the finite

element models for bullet behavior.

• Provide a database of soft body armor materials of

both pristine and degraded fibers using data from the

NIST laboratories and other sources.

• Demonstrate a finite element model of bullet

deformation using constitutive equations developed at

NIST and compare with high-speed video of actual

tests.

• Draft a performance standard.

• Provide constitutive equations of soft body armor

fibers needed for finite element models.

• Demonstrate a full FEA model of bullet/soft armor

interactions using NIST developed bullet and fiber

constitutive equations.

• Report comparing results of simulations with

experiments of real situations. Report will include a

road map for continued improvement of the modeling

by using comparisons with experiments.

NIJ STANDARD–0104.02, “RIOT

HELMETS AND FACE SHIELDS”

GOALS

The objective of this project is to review NIJ Standard–0104.02 and issue an improved revision.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

With the anticipated improvements, it is expected

that more riot control equipment will be tested

against the standard, leading to improved products and an increase in standard-compliant models, which will benefit the user community.

NIJ Standard–0104.02, “Riot Helmets and Face

Shields,” was last reviewed in October 1984. Since

that time, technological improvements incorporated

into helmets and face shields offer better protection, and research has led to a better understanding of head and neck injuries. An improved performance standard that incorporates these considerations into it will allow law enforcement and corrections personnel to specify and procure improved

equipment that offers higher levels of protection.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

# Review other national standards dealing with

helmets.

# Review threat levels and use of ISO “headform.” Consult with other standards bodies to discuss their rationale for and experiences with the

ISO headform.

# Research existing flammability resistance test

methods for potential inclusion in this standard.

# Research impact resistance methods for potential inclusion to assess the performance of the

“tails.”

# Identify outside support to provide assistance

with revising standard.

# Establish performance levels consistent with

the latest injury threshold research.

# Develop revised test procedures and validate

through testing.

# Finalize revised standard and issue it for comment and review.

DELIVERABLES

• Reviews completed and summarized in intermediate

status report.

• Revised test procedures.

• Validation test report.

• Finalize revised standard and issue it for comment

and review.
14 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF WEAPONS AND

PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS

# Provided technical leadership for the Attorney General’s Body Armor Safety Initiative.

- Advanced the understanding of issues associated with the penetration of the Forest

Hills body armor.

- Determined that there are performance deficiencies with at least some ZYLON-based body

armor samples in field service.

- Evaluated upgrade kits for some ZYLONbased body armor models.

- Supported the Attorney General’s Body Armor Summit.

- Advanced the understanding of PBO degradation mechanisms and specific armor design features that might increase the risk of

exposure of PBO to undesirable environmental factors.

- Developed preliminary test and measurement methods for assessing changes in PBO.

Methods are based on assessing certain chemical and mechanical properties.

- Developed specific recommendations for

improving the NIJ body armor standard in the

near term, and identified areas requiring further study.

# Developed improved test methodologies for

assessing ballistic helmets.

PUBLICATIONS

G.A. Holmes, K.D. Rice, and C.R. Snyder, “Ballistic Fibers:

A Review of the Thermal, Ultraviolet, and Hydrolytic Stability of the Benzoxazole Ring Structure,” submitted to

Journal of Materials Science, (June 2004).
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 15

DETECTION, INSPECTION, AND ENFORCEMENT

TECHNOLOGIES

As America’s homeland security efforts intensify,

the work of OLES’ Detection, Inspection and Enforcement Technologies program becomes increasingly important.

Two continuing projects focus on testing and improving the capabilities of current walk-through

and hand-held metal detectors. Work completed

last year on the conductivity and permeability of

weapons-grade metals is currently available for interpreting detection limits. Likewise, methods for

producing phantom materials that emulate human

tissue were recently developed for experimentally

investigating issues of electromagnetic compatibility and safety for wearers of personal medical devices (PMEDS) in the rf fields produced by metal

detectors.

Another effort focuses on the completion of a performance standard for the portable x-ray systems

used by bomb technicians to disarm improvised

explosive devices. A complementary project tests

commercial-off-the-shelf models for compliance with

the forth-coming standard.

Investigations of the electromagnetic properties of

building materials are being pursued so that better

systems can be improvised for communications

between First Responders in emergency situations

and for locating victims that may be trapped beneath building rubble.

The Detection, Inspection and Enforcement Technologies program is also developing evaluation

standards for advanced human recognition systems that will allow qualitative performance testing

of recognition products over a wide range of watchlist and access-control applications.

In the enforcement arena, standards for traffic

speed-measuring devices are constantly being updated to keep pace with the enhancements manufacturers install on their products to catch speed

offenders on our nation’s highways and roads. In

addition, a new standard is being prepared for the

ubiquitous intersection safety systems that capture images and speeds of red light violators.

NIJ STANDARD–0601.02,

“WALK-THROUGH METAL DETECTORS

FOR USE IN CONCEALED WEAPON

AND CONTRABAND DETECTION”

GOALS

The objective of this project is to continue work to

improve the latest revision of the Walk-Through

Metal Detector (WTMD) performance standard,

design and implement improvements to the robot

used for WTMD performance tests, revise the NIST

report that describes the test equipment, and provide technical assistance to the Compliance Testing Program.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

The new standard, the Compliance Testing Program, and the equipment performance report will

provide important information to WTMD manufacturers, lead to improved WTMD designs, and

serve to educate the user community about important performance characteristics and operating parameters of WTMDs.

Increasing attention is being given to security, and

great confidence is placed in walk-through metal

detectors to detect items that might pose a threat

to public safety. Routinely, one can find these devices being used to screen correctional facility

populations and their visitors, as well as to screen

people for admission to airport terminals, courthouses, schools, sports stadiums, amusement

parks, and political events, and this is only a partial

list. It is essential for the WTMD to be adjusted

properly to sense the types of threat objects of

interest, and that it perform this detection function

accurately and reliably. The WTMD performance

standard fills an important void in that it is the only

reference developed specifically for these products

that ties together many important performance requirements (electrical safety and vulnerability, electromagnetic compatibility, detection performance,

and environmental resistance). Users of WTMDs

can purchase compliant products with confidence.

Historically, WTMD manufacturers were not compelled to design their products to meet a broad

array of performance requirements, but rather only

a subset of requirements to meet basic electrical

safety and perhaps electromagnetic emissions

Technical Contact:

George Lieberman

Staff-Years:

3
16 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

requirements. With the last revision of the standard, NIJ established a Compliance Testing Program for WTMDs and made it available to manufacturers so that they can begin to assess their

designs against the full array of performance tests

and make adjustments to improve the designs to

address vulnerabilities that might be exposed during testing. It is important to address issues that

have been discovered during the first year of the

WTMD Compliance Testing Program and to report

the results of the testing program so that users will

benefit from this information and further improvements can be made to the standard.

Since the first series of tests under the Compliance

Testing Program, numerous requests have been

made by manufacturers and procurement authorities to have units tested against the standard. Presently there are no commercial laboratories recognized by NIJ to do this. Also, during the first series

of tests, several areas for improvement were noted.

In consultation with an industry group, NIST developed what has now become the current version

of the NIJ “Walk-Through Metal Detector” performance standard, NIJ Standard–0601.02. A formal

WTMD Compliance Testing Program based on this

standard was initiated in mid-FY2002 and completed

in FY2003. NIST worked closely with the National

Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology

Center (NLECTC) and a commercial test laboratory

to implement the WTMD Compliance Testing Program, through which several models of commercially available WTMDs were tested. This test program has proven very valuable, both in terms of

generating data on products of interest and in terms

of pinpointing areas in the standard that could be

improved further. Comments and suggestions for

further improvements to the standard were, and

continue to be, collected from industry.

This project will provide the technical support

needed to implement an ongoing Compliance Testing Program. Work will also begin on the next revision of the standard, which will include the procurement of three WTMDs for validation testing

purposed. Mentioned in the handheld metal detector project are robot specific improvements that

also carry over to this effort. Additionally, a separate publication is planned that describes the test

equipment and test objects in detail.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

# Provide technical support to NIJ and the

NLECTC, which administers the Compliance Testing Program, to re-establish the testing program.

# Revise standard, including the following:

1) removing text and figures describing test objects and auxiliary test equipment designs; 2) updating references to other standards; and 3) procuring three WTMDs and evaluating performance

test protocols of standard.

# Publish new document that includes build details for the robot and embedments (while the test

object design is a requirement, the embedment is

not necessary); it is used to facilitate reproducible

test and provide safety. This will involve: 1) removing test object embedments from the standard;

2) redesigning the embedments to allow placing

test objects closer to metal detectors (we have observed that for some metal detectors, the distance

between the test object and metal detector was too

great); and 3) inserting drawings and specifications

for the parts in the supplemental document. Additionally, the test equipment design descriptions will

be placed in the supplemental NIJ document, as

these descriptions are a suggestion and not a requirement.

# Modify the OLES robot. Of special interest is

the addition of hardware to minimize test object

bounce and to improve positional accuracy. Software modifications are also planned to improve the

measurement process.

# Modify the NIJ robot. Commercial labs performing these tests will need this robot. Modifications need to be made to the robotic controller or a

new software package must be developed to provide the flexibility needed in testing a broad range

of detector geometries. Initial testing revealed limitations in the software package supplied with it.

An assessment will be made to determine the most

effective route toward improvement – either a hardware change or a software change.

DELIVERABLES

• Revised standard.

• Separate document containing equipment recommendations, which will either be a revision of NISTIR

6530, “A Measurement System for Characterizing the

Detection Performance of Metal Detectors: Design and

Operation,” or a new, but similar, publication.

NIJ STANDARD–0602.02,

“HANDHELD METAL DETECTORS FOR

USE IN CONCEALED WEAPON AND

CONTRABAND DETECTION”

GOALS

The objective of this project is to continue work to

improve the latest revision of the Hand-Held Metal
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 17

Detector (HHMD) performance standard, design

and implement improvements to the robot used for

HHMD performance tests, revise the NIST report

that describes the test equipment, and provide technical assistance to the Compliance Testing Program.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

The new standard, the Compliance Testing Program, and the equipment performance report will

provide important information to HHMD manufacturers, lead to improved HHMD designs, and serve

to educate the user community about important

performance characteristics and operating parameters of HHMDs.

With increasing attention being given to security,

hand-held metal detectors are often used to supplement the interrogation provided by walk-through

metal detectors (WTMDs), especially if the WTMD

gives a positive alarm. The HHMD allows the security screener to pinpoint areas of primary concern and to inspect them more closely to detect

items that might pose a threat to public safety.

These devices are found nearly everywhere that

WTMDs are found, and they are often the last inspection devices used to screen someone; therefore, it is critical that they perform their intended

function accurately and reliably. As is the case

with WTMDs, manufacturers of HHMDs were not

compelled to design their products to meet a broad

array of performance requirements, but this standard and a coordinated Compliance Testing Program will fill that void. With the new revision of the

standard and the Compliance Testing Program,

manufacturers will be able to assess their designs

against the full array of performance tests and make

adjustments to improve the designs to address

vulnerabilities that might be exposed during testing. Users of HHMDs will be able to purchase

compliant products with confidence.

In consultation with an industry group, NIST developed what has now become the current version

of the NIJ “Hand-Held Metal Detector” performance

standard, NIJ Standard–0602.02. A formal Compliance Testing Program based on this standard has

not been initiated; however, some internal tests

have proven very valuable in terms of pinpointing

areas in the standard that could be improved further. Comments and suggestions for further improvements to the standard continue to be collected from industry.

This current project will provide the technical support needed to implement an ongoing Compliance

Testing Program. Work will also begin on the next

revision of the standard and on making improvements to the robotic test system. Additionally, a

separate publication is planned that describes the

test equipment and test objects in detail.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

# Provide technical support to NIJ and NLECTC,

which will administer the Compliance Testing Program. Assist in identification of laboratories that

can conduct tests in the standard and work closely

with NLECTC to implement the HHMD Compliance

Testing Program.

# Revise standard, including the following:

1) removing text and figures describing test objects and auxiliary test equipment designs; 2) implementing minor changes to certain test procedures

to reduce test time and cost; and 3) updating references to other standards.

# Publish new document that includes build details for the robot and embedments (while the test

object design is a requirement, the embedment is

not necessary); it is used to facilitate reproducible

test and provide safety. This will involve: 1) removing test object embedments from the standard,

2) redesigning the embedments to allow placing

test objects closer to metal detectors (we have observed that for some metal detectors, the distance

between the test object and metal detector was too

great); and 3) inserting drawings and specifications

for the parts in the supplemental document. Additionally, the test equipment design descriptions will

be placed in the supplemental NIJ document, as

these descriptions are a suggestion and not a requirement.

# Modify the OLES robot. Of special interest is

the addition of hardware to minimize test object

bounce and to improve positional accuracy. Software modifications are also planned to improve the

measurement process.

# Modify the NIJ robot. Commercial labs performing these tests will need this robot. Modifications need to be made to the robotic controller or a

new software package must be developed to provide the flexibility needed in testing a broad range

of detector geometries. Initial testing revealed limitations in the software package supplied with it.

An assessment will be made to determine the most

effective route toward improvement – either a hardware change or a software change.
18 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

DELIVERABLES

• Revised standard.

• Identification of laboratories.

• Separate document containing equipment recommendations, which will either be a revision of NISTIR

6530, “A Measurement System for Characterizing the

Detection Performance of Metal Detectors: Design and

Operation,” or a new, but similar, publication.

DEVELOPMENT OF EVALUATION

STANDARDS FOR FACE RECOGNITION

SYSTEMS

GOALS

The objective of this project is to design methods

for the evaluation of systems that identify humans

in imagery and define the standards for the collection, dissemination and use of imagery databases.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Databases and software implementations of evaluation metrics allow quantitative performance testing of human recognition products over a wide

range of watch-list and access-control applications.

In prior fiscal years, NIST has been funded to conduct data gathering efforts, which have resulted in

a human identification database. Using the database, NIST has developed the measurement methods for analyzing performance of facial recognition

systems. The methods have proven sufficiently

generic such that fingerprint recognition systems

(single finger and Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)) can be evaluated in much

the same manner. Indeed the measurement techniques and performance statistics are applicable to

a wide range of biometrics, and non-human recognition tasks.

This effort is funded by the NIJ. Two distinct imagery databases have been used for the NIST face

tests. First, a NIST-gathered collection of volunteer images constitutes a database of multi-modal,

multi-site, and multi-biometric collection. Second,

6.8M operational images from the Department of

State give very large-scale performance numbers

that are predictive of deployed performance in visa

processing applications.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

NIST will continue work to support the evaluation

of human recognition systems. This will be a threepronged approach:

# Given that face recognition systems have been

shown to benefit from multiple captures (and/or

views) of the face, NIST is conducting a study to

quantify this effect, and to ensure that the standard face interchange format supports the inclusion of multiple images.

# NIST will participate in the U.S. standards committee INCITS M1 (national) and ISO/IEC SC37 (international) standards processes in two areas:

1) establishing face and fingerprint interchange

standards (this is close to completion), and 2) performance testing. This latter activity is primarily a

codification of the offline testing conducted at NIST

for face (http://www.frvt.org) and fingerprint (http:/

/fpvte.nist.gov). The major result will be prescriptive methods for measuring false accept and true

accept rates for one-to-one verification and oneto-many open-set identification applications.

# NIST is working jointly with the Department

of Homeland Security on face recognition aspects

of the US VISIT port-of-entry traveler verification

system. Particularly NIST will assess the image

quality of the images that can be captured using

installed equipment, determine its suitability for the

recognition activities planned, and make recommendations on the basis of our findings.

DELIVERABLES

• Working Draft M1 and ISO testing standards.

• Final Draft face and fingerprint interchange formats.

• Image quality assessment methods for face

recognition.

• Studies of face+face and face+fingerprint fusion, its

effectiveness, and ergonomic and economic viability.

PORTABLE X-RAY SYSTEMS FOR BOMB

DISARMAMENT AND SEARCH

GOALS

To modernize the currently obsolete standard for

portable x-ray systems used in bomb disarmament

operations and then test commercial-off-the-shelf

(COTS) systems for compliance with this revised

standard.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Law enforcement officers engaged in counter-terrorism activities may be called upon to determine

whether a suspicious letter received by a prominent individual, or an abandoned package found in

a public place, contains an improvised explosive

device (IED). Time permitting, a portable x-ray system enables that determination to be made and,

depending on such factors as the construction,

type and amount of explosive, and detonation
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 19

mechanism, to lead to a course of action to disarm,

disrupt or otherwise mitigate the explosive blast.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Due to vast improvements in x-ray generation, imaging and microprocessor technology, and stricter

radiation safety requirements imposed by other

agencies, there is a heightened, if not urgent, need

to modernize the current 32-year-old Justice Department standard: NILECTJ- STD 0603.00. To facilitate that effort, a collaboration was undertaken

with the Police Scientific Development Branch

(PSDB) of the Home Office in the United Kingdom

(UK). The PSDB has considerable expertise and

experience in the testing and deployment of portable x-ray equipment. PSDB facility at Sandridge

is also very comprehensive, including a large leadlined laboratory and various x-ray generators, and

the staff are familiar with the general requirements

of x-ray imaging systems and generators and the

associated (UK) health and safety issues.

Together with the PSDB, two workshops were conducted at NIST involving bomb squad practitioners, instructors and physical scientists familiar with

the technology. The outcome was a draft that was

subsequently reviewed by manufacturers and experts from various professional associations of

bomb technicians and investigators. Their recommendations were incorporated into a final draft,

which is being prepared for approval and promulgation. As this is occurring, the PSDB will commence preparations for testing COTS x-ray systems for compliance with the standard. The standard together with results from the testing program

are intended to provide a powerful procurement

tool for bomb squad acquisitions.

DELIVERABLES

• An NIJ/PSDB standard for portable x-ray systems

for bomb disarmament and search.

• A report containing compliance test results for

COTS portable x-ray systems.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR TRAFFIC SPEED

AND RED LIGHT ENFORCEMENT

GOALS

To develop and maintain performance specifications which assure the accuracy and reliability of

speed-measuring devices and systems used by law

enforcement, and to assist the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with administering an independent testing laboratory program establishing a consumer products list for each type

of speed-measuring device.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Police traffic radar devices have been used in this

country to detect speeding motorists since the

1940s. Since then, radar devices have evolved from

clumsy, stationary models into sophisticated, microprocessor-enhanced units capable of monitoring vehicle speeds in either direction from moving

patrol cars, and into automated across-the-road

systems that automatically capture images of speedoffending vehicles. The successful application of

radar technologies to speed enforcement has

spawned interest in the development of laser technologies, such as lidar devices and hand-held

photolidar systems that photographically document speed violations, as well as an interest in intersection safety systems that not only record red

light violations but also the vehicle’s approaching

speed. Against this bewildering array of technically complex speed-enforcement tools, law enforcement administrators are forced to make difficult procurement decisions.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Through the development of minimum performance

standards, and testing programs administered by

the IACP, baselines are established for acceptable

device and system performance. Citizens, courts

and law enforcement officers should be assured

that those product models, determined by test to

comply with the specifications, will provide the high

quality of service they require. To further this program, it is recommended that equipment buyers incorporate these performance specifications into

their procurement documents, requiring units offered for purchase meet or exceed the requirements

of the performance specifications. This is intended

to encourage manufacturers to produce better devices and systems. Since device features are constantly evolving, the specifications are subjected

to continuing review.

DELIVERABLES

• Maintain up-to-date minimum performance specifications for traffic speed-measuring devices and

systems.

• Develop an intersection safety system standard and

a traffic simulator for compliance testing.

• Assist the IACP with administration of its device and

system Compliance Testing Program.
20 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

DIELECTRIC MEASUREMENTS OF

BUILDING MATERIALS

GOALS

Accurately measure the electromagnetic properties

of a broad range of building materials and develop

a modeling technique that, based on these properties and the dimensional dispositions of any

building’s structural elements, can be used to optimize the communication system setup by First Responders during emergency situations.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

First responders in emergency situations need optimized communication systems for a variety of

building structures. They not only need to communicate effectively with each other, but also need to

know whether safe entry or egress is possible in

parts of buildings. These building structures may

be characterized as those for office and living use,

or as those having specialized functional roles such

as telecommunications centers, gas or explosive

repositories, or underground rooms and bunkers.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials, since it is inexpensive, durable,

convenient, and has high mechanical strength. The

electromagnetic properties of concrete vary with

frequency and critically influence the performance

of communication systems used by First Responders. Because the mechanical properties of poured

or cast concrete are considerably improved with

the use of rebar wire meshes, the effects of the

rebar wire, as well as that of the concrete itself,

must be considered to properly analyze the efficacy of communication signals amidst the concrete

structural elements of buildings. As other building

materials also affect signaling and their effects vary

with frequency, it becomes equally important to

accurately assess the electromagnetic properties

of a wide spectrum of commonly used building

materials, over a broad frequency range.

Our strategy has been to develop accurate methods for measuring the broadband electromagnetic

properties of building materials and then to apply

these techniques to assess the electromagnetic

properties of prepared building materials. The collected data are being used to create a NIST-traceable measurement database and for the development of national reference standards for evaluating the electromagnetic properties of building materials. Next, the measured electromagnetic properties are being incorporated into a modeling technique for simulating and optimizing electromagnetic

communications through any multi--wall or multifloor building structure, given the disposition and

dimensions of the structural elements comprising

the building.

DELIVERABLES

• Electromagnetic property measurements for a wide

spectrum of building materials, including concrete and

rebar, over a broad range in frequency.

• The fabrication, analysis and experimental testing of

a number of accurate, non-destructive RF and

microwave measuring systems.

• A database of dielectric materials.

• A practical modeling technique that can be used by

First Responders to assess communication systems

for any building structure.

• Publications in the form of NIST Technical Notes and/

or articles in professional journals.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF DETECTION,

INSPECTION, AND ENFORCEMENT

TECHNOLOGIES

# Facial Recognition Vendors Test 2000 and 2002,

http://www.frvt.org. Supplemental report on FRVT

2002 was released January 2004.

# A new color, high resolution, release of the

Facial Evaluation Recognition Test (FERET) face

database (superseding the greyscale version 500

copies of which were issued between February 2001

and September 2003) was released in October 2003.

# INCITS 1602-D, Biometric Performance Testing and Reporting, Part 2: Technology Testing and

Reporting, August 2004.

# ISO/IEC, Text of Working Draft 19795-4, Biometric Performance Testing and Reporting – Part 4:

Specific Test Programmes, October 2004.

# ANSI, INCITS 385-2004, Face Recognition

Format for Data Interchange, May 2004.

# The final draft of the standard for portable xray systems is being prepared for submission to

the NIJ for printing and promulgation.

# The program to test COTS portable x-ray systems is about to commence.

# The following standards for traffic speed enforcement devices and systems were significantly

revised and recently released for distribution:

- Speed Measuring Device Performance

Specifications: Down-the-Road Radar Module,

June 1, 2004.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 21

- Speed Measuring Device Performance

Specifications: Across -the-Road Radar Module, June 1, 2004.

- Speed Measuring Device Performance

Specifications: Lidar Module, June 1, 2004.

# The scope and capabilities of the IACP testing laboratory at the Institute for Police Technology and Management at the University of N.

Florida have been expanded in the areas of radar

device, lidar device and photolidar system testing.

# A new IACP facility has been established at

San Diego State University for testing conventional

radar devices and across-the-road radar systems.

# Broadband coaxial open-circuit transmission

line techniques were developed and then used to

accurately measure the dielectric properties of nonreinforced concrete from 100 MHz to 5 GHz. These

measurements were performed as a function of cure

time for the concrete, which had aggregate compositions to simulate typical building yield strengths

of 4500 psi.

# An electromagnetic model for concrete was

developed that can be used to predict electromagnetic signaling as a function frequency, total water

content, bulk/surface water ratio, chemical salinity,

porosity, and temperature.

# Surface resistance measurements of steel

beams from the World Trade Center (WTC) and

steel used in rebar wire meshes for reinforcing concrete were completed. Room-temperature data were

reported for various WTC steel alloys at frequencies from 1MHz to 100 GHz. Conductivities were

determined from the surface resistance measurements.

# Non-destructive techniques for characterizing

laminar dielectric building materials at selected frequencies from 700 MHz to 10 GHz were developed

and applied to a number of commonly used building materials. An in-progress summary of the measurements, together with measurement uncertainties, has been reported.

# A measurement system for determining the

electromagnetic properties of building materials at

K-band frequencies (20GHz –30GHz) is being developed for future building material testing.

# A simplified technique, employing the NISTmeasured electromagnetic properties of building

materials, has been developed for optimizing an

improvised communication system for use between

First Responders in emergency situations. It includes signaling through concrete floors or through

(multiple) exterior walls. It can also be used to design a communication system for remote interrogation of chemical or biological sensors to ascertain

safety of entry or egress.

# A NIST Technical Note is in preparation.

# A time-domain system was developed and used

to measure large sheets of building materials.

PUBLICATIONS

J. Baker-Jarvis, “Dielectric measurements of building materials,” URSI/APS meeting, Monterey, CA, April 2004.

J. Baker-Jarvis, M. D. Janezic, P. Kabos, B. Johnk, and C.

L. Holloway, “Measuring the permittivity and permeability of lossy materials, composites and building materials,”

NIST Technical Note in progress.

R. G. Geyer, “A chain matrix model using intrinsic building

material electromagnetic properties for evaluation of electromagnetic signaling in buildings,” NIST Technical Note

in progress.

R. G. Geyer, J. R. Baker-Jarvis, M. D. Janezic and R. K. F.

Kaiser, “Carbon-loaded polymer composites used as human phantoms: Theoretical models for predicting low frequency dielectric behavior,” NIST Technical Note 1529,

June 2003.

C. Grosvenor, R. Johnk, N. Canales, D. Novotny, J. BakerJarvis, and M. D. Janezic, “Electrical material property

measurements using a free-field, ultra-wideband system,”

Proceedings of IEEE/CEIDP (Conference on Electrical

Insulation & Dielectric Phenomena), Boulder, CO, October 2004.

C. Grosvenor, B. Davis, R. Johnk, D. Novotny, and N.

Canales, “Measuring the dielectric properties of materials

using an ultra-wideband, time-domain measurement system,” NIST Technical Note in progress.

M. D. Janezic and J. Baker-Jarvis, “Relative permeability

measurements for metal-detector research,” NIST Technical Note 1532, April 2004.

M. D. Janezic, R. F. Kaiser, J. Baker-Jarvis, and G. Free,

“DC conductivity measurements of metals,” NIST Technical Note 1531, January 2004.

M. D. Janezic, E. F. Kuester, and J. Baker-Jarvis, “Broadband complex permittivity measurements of dielectric substrates using a split-cylinder resonator,” Microwave

Symposium Digest, 2004 IEEE MTT-S International (Fort

Worth, TX, June 6-11, 2004), vol. 3, pp.1817-1820.

B. Riddle, J. Baker- Jarvis, J. Kruptka, “Complex permittivity measurements of common plastics over variable temperatures,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and

Techniques, vol. 51, no. 3, March 2003, pp. 727-733.
22 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

CHEMICAL SYSTEMS AND MATERIALS

OLES’ Chemical Systems and Materials program

concentrates on research and standards related to

chemical technologies used by the criminal justice

and public safety communities. The increasing use

of less-than-lethal chemicals such as pepper spray

(oleoresin capsicum, OC) raises questions about

the safety and effectiveness of products currently

on the market. The program is examining pepper

spray canister products to determine their ingredients, potency, and dose characteristics. This work,

coupled with OLES’ previous studies to evaluate

the dose-related effects of pepper spray on the

human body, is in preparation for developing the

first standard for pepper spray products.

With regard to standards, the forensic science community has an inherent need for standard reference

materials (SRMs) and reference materials (RMs).

Currently NIST supplies industry, academia, government, and other users with over 1300 reference

materials of the highest quality and metrological

value. SRMs are used for three main purposes: to

help develop accurate methods of analysis (reference methods); to calibrate measurement systems;

and to assure the long-term integrity of measurement quality assurance programs. To provide this

support in the forensic science laboratories, OLES

has initiated projects that will create SRMs and

RMs where the community determined that a void

exists.

The criminal justice community and employers in

both the private and public sectors have expressed

strong interest in less invasive tests than those

now used to detect illegal drug use. In response,

the Chemical Systems and Materials program has

recently completed research projects investigating

two alternatives: sweat-based drug testing techniques and saliva as a drug testing specimen.

In 1999, the program issued the first NIJ standard

for protective gloves for law enforcement and corrections users. Today it continues to provide technical support to the NLECTC at Rockville, MD, for

its glove testing program based on that standard.

OLEORESIN CAPSICUM CANISTER

STUDY

GOALS

OLES has initiated a study involving sampling and

analyzing the contents of commercial pepper spray

canisters from five different manufacturers, to make

quantitative measurements of the internal pressure,

concentration of active agent(s) capsaicinoid compounds present in the aerosol spray, the propellants and carriers. The study will also include shelflife stability studies of the canisters (devices) at

specified environments, aerosol firing tests, spray

range tests, and drop tests to gauge device mechanical safety and stability. It is hoped that data

from this type of study will suggest improvements

and serve as the basis for minimum voluntary labeling and performance standards. The work will

be performed at the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) at NIST.

OLES is helping to characterize and establish

performance standards for pepper spray.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an extract of hot peppers. In addition to its use in food and pharmaceuticals, it is an active ingredient in the aerosol sprays

used by law enforcement agencies to subdue noncooperative individuals through skin contact, eyes,

and inhalation. The pungency of taste and pain

associated with this material are the result of a family of compounds known as “capsaicinoids.” The

major capsaicinoids present in OC are Capsaicin

(CAP), dihydrocapsaicin (DIHCAP), nordihydrocapsaicin (NORDIH), homocapsaicin (HOMO), and

dihydrohomocapsaicin (DIHHOMO).

Technical Contact:

 Alim Fatah

Staff-Years:

5
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 23

Law Enforcement agencies that have used OC over

the last 10 years have found that administering this

to those resisting arrest results in effective incapacitation – reversible in 15–20 minutes – 85–90 %

of the time. The reasons for the 10–15 % failure

include low concentration of OC in the canister,

poor delivery owing to low pressure, bad aim, variability of subject responses or a combination of

these factors. OLES at NIST is particularly interested in addressing some of these product failure

issues that face the law enforcement community to

help them perform their functions more safely and

effectively.

The pharmaceutical effects of the topical application of these compounds to skin and mucous membranes stimulates the production of and subsequent

desensitization to pain. Studies in animals have

indicated this effect arises from the binding of specific parts of the particular molecule to receptors in

nerve endings. The generation of pain appears to

be a temporary phenomenon only, and is not the

result of damage to tissue. The pungency of

capsaicinoid compounds and preparations containing them is widely expressed in terms of “Scoville

Heat Units” (SU). The SU value is the dilution at

which a pungency can just be detected by a trained

taster. Since the production of pain and the sensation of pungency probably arise through similar

physiological pathways, such as the interaction

with nerve receptors, it might be assumed that the

effects would have some correlation. Another way

of expressing capsaicinoid potency is the “mean

pain potency” (MPP), which is the concentration

required to produce a certain response when a solution is applied to the eye of a rat. Thus, it is an

inverse indicator; that is, the smaller the number

the higher the potency. It must be noted, however,

both the SU and the MPP are subjective measurement systems and, therefore, do not lend themselves to either quantitative determination of potency or an accurate determination of structureactivity relationships for each of the capsaicinoid

compounds, alone or in a mixture.

Although CN and CS, commonly known as “tear

gas,” have been used for riot control for many years,

they are not suitable for use against individuals as

OC is. Recent findings have shown that OC is an

effective incapacitant, reducing assaults against

officers, injuries to officers and suspects, while reducing the number of complaints filed against cities regarding use-of-force by law enforcement officers. At the same time, however, a number of

areas of concern have surfaced with regard to the

use of OC. These areas include legal and policy

issues, technical issues such as product specification and performance, medical issues such as the

safety and toxicity of OC, especially with regard to

long term use of OC, and operational issues such

as training and safety procedures for users. OLES

is particularly interested in addressing the “technical issues” aspects of this problem.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

At the present time, the commercial “pepper spray”

products in the market are not well defined. There

is no specification of active ingredients and manufacturers use a wide range of formulations and labeling schemes: 1) they do not show whether they

are using natural or synthetic OC; 2) they do not

identify the concentrations of the OC ingredients

in the formulation; 3) some combine OC with other

active ingredients such CS and CN; 4) they use

different carriers such as water, isopropyl alcohol,

freon and other halogenated solvents without the

data to show how the OC ingredients potency and

effectiveness correlates with the carrier system; and

5) there is no data to show the correlation between

the concentrations of the different capsaicinoids

and how that correlates with the performance and

effectiveness of OC.

The project will examine a number of canisters from

particular lots and manufacturers that have been

used in confrontations by measuring propellant

pressure, OC concentration and other properties

of the canister which correlate with the reason for

the failure. NIJ Standard–0110.00, “Barrier-Penetrating Tear Gas Munitions,” which deals with testing

hand-held aerosol tear gas weapons, will be used

as a guide in measuring spray pattern of canisters.

EVALUATION OF EQUIPMENT FOR

DETECTION OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

IN SALIVA

GOALS

A variety of approaches have been devised for

detection of drug abuse. Recently considerable

attention has been focused on using oral fluids,

commonly known as saliva, as a medium for detection of alcohol and drug use. Commercial vendors

offer a variety of systems for this market, ranging

from simple strips that display a color change to

sophisticated instruments. All of these tests are

promoted as rapid and simple and are intended for

on-site use. As with any test designed to be simple,

rapid and at low cost, there are concerns about the

specificity and sensitivity of these saliva testing

materials. As the results of these tests may have
24 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

legal ramifications, it is critical that the tests perform as claimed by the vendors of the test equipment.

OLES assessment of use of saliva as a non-intrusive

forensic test may lead to more accurate drug testing

results.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Saliva interests the law enforcement, prison, and

the court systems because it is a relatively easy

liquid to use with conventional drug screening and

confirmation techniques. It can be collected – by

spitting or swabbing – simply and in a less invasive and less embarrassing manner than blood or

urine. Many illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine and amphetamines, can be detected in saliva.

And because saliva is derived from blood, drug

levels found in oral fluids should reflect those

present in the blood and urine.

There is a wealth of background literature on the

collection, analysis and interpretation of many

drugs in oral fluid as reported in NISTIR 7139, “The

Evaluation of Saliva/Oral Fluid as an Alternate Drug

Testing Specimen,” July 2004. Oral fluid appears to

have promise as a specimen for testing in the criminal justice system. This study is one of the latest

results of a 30-year collaborative effort between

NIJ and NIST to develop standards and guidelines

for equipment used in the law enforcement and

criminal justice systems.

The word “saliva” is commonly used to describe

the complex combination of oral fluids produced

by the three major and several minor saliva glands

plus other constituents present in the mouth. Sometimes called “mixed saliva,” the fluid moistens mucus membranes of the mouth and upper respiratory

tract. It also contributes to digestion and helps

cleanse the mouth. Adults typically produce more

than 1,000 milliliters of saliva daily, including about

5 milliliters per minute while spitting and .05 milliliters while sleeping. Beyond saliva, researchers are

also testing hair and sweat to determine if they can

be used to detect illegal drug use.

Before saliva can become an accepted test for illegal drugs, several problems have to be resolved

and limitations overcome. Current testing methods usually measure the metabolites or chemical

breakdown products of illegal drugs rather than

the parent drugs themselves. Unfortunately, those

parent drugs are found in saliva more often than

the metabolites. Eventually, however, this may be

helpful since parent drugs can be extracted from a

saliva sample more easily than the metabolites.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

NIST will acquire a variety of saliva test systems

and will subject these systems to a rigorous evaluation of their specificity and sensitivity. For systems that promise quantitative results, results will

be compared with those obtained using proven GC/

MS and/or LC/MS methodology. Known amounts

of alcohol and/or the other drugs of abuse that are

claimed to be detected will be added to drug-free

saliva. The various devices will be tested using

these spiked saliva samples to determine if the

quoted detection limits are achievable. GC/MS or

LC/MS measurements will be used to confirm the

concentration of the analytes. In addition, other

substances that might be present in saliva will be

added to determine the specificity of the saliva tests.

These will include some common, over-the-counter

medications that are taken orally as well as other

substances that might occur in saliva. If a test fails

to perform as promised, it will be retested to ensure

that the failure was repeatable.

DELIVERABLES

• Set up GC/MS and LC/MS methods for drugs and

alcohol in saliva.

• Complete testing of GC/MS and LC/MS methods

used for validation.

• Complete acquisition of commercial saliva testing

materials.

• Complete sensitivity testing.

• Complete specificity testing.

• Complete project report.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CHEMICAL

SYSTEMS AND MATERIALS

# Purity tests on the standards by differential

scanning calorimetry (DSC), ultraviolet absorbance

at 280 nm, LC with UV absorbance detection at

210 nm, and LC with electrospray ionization and

mass spectrometric detection was completed.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 25

# Two insulated boxes were constructed to serve

as environmental chambers for the storage of canisters containing flammable propellant.

# A device was built to permit sampling of the

contents of a pressured canister by piercing the

wall of the canister.

# A device for use in the range tests, impact pattern tests, and number of bursts tests was built to

position and fire the canisters remotely through

actuation of a solenoid.

# A device was designed and built to hold and

release canisters for the drop test. This device is

also operated electrically through application of a

solenoid, and will permit remote actuation. The

device was designed to impart minimum torque on

the canister upon release, to maintain the original

orientation.

# Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

(ATF) brought a failed canister to and several specimens of the same brand to the NIST test range for

spray tests and were failed. The failed canister had

a spray range and pattern different than the others.

PUBLICATIONS

A. Fatah and J. P. Cohn, “Developments in Drug Testing:

Saliva as an Alternate to Urine and Blood,” Corrections

Today, vol. 65, no. 6, October 2003.

A. A. Fatah, D. J. Crouch, J. Day, and J. Baudys, NISTIR

7139, “Evaluation of Saliva/Oral Fluid as an Alternate Drug

Testing Specimen – Final Report,” July 2004.

A. A. Fatah, R. F. Cook, D. C. Dove, D. J. Crouch, and J.

Baudys, NISTIR 7140, “An Evaluation of Innovative

Sweat-Based Drug Testing Techniques for Use in Criminal

Justice Drug Testing – Final Report,” July 2004.
26 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

FORENSIC SCIENCES

In today’s world, forensic procedures have an incredible range of applications. Department of Homeland Security applies them when evaluating threats

to our nation and relies on their precision when

investigating terrorist actions. Government and

private crime laboratories have stepped into the

limelight as a result of high profile cases and primetime television shows. Because of this increased

visibility laboratories must meet the most stringent

laboratory requirements. The OLES Forensic Sciences program works to ensure laboratories have

the necessary tools or documentation to assist in

obtaining accurate results that will hold up in court.

The expanse of forensic applications requires a

multi-disciplinary approach, and thus work in this

area has been distributed across NIST laboratories. For example, projects involving high-tech (computer) crime are based in the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL). These projects address issues such as: the evaluation of investigative software, the prevention of inadvertent modifications

of electronic files under investigation and the development of a National Software Reference Library

(NSRL) that helps computer analysts to quickly

identify suspect files on a hard drive. The Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL) has

been assigned all aspects of DNA research, bloodand-breath alcohol analysis and the creation of biological standard reference materials (SRMs). The

Precision Engineering Division has been assigned

all projects addressing bullet and cartridge cases

and the Building and Fire Research Laboratory

(BFRL) handles all projects related to burn pattern

recognition, measurement and simulation of ignition sources, and computer simulations of actual

fire events.

STANDARD REFERENCE TEST DATA

SET FOR COMPUTER FORENSICS

GOALS

The objective of this project is to provide a validated test that can be used by computer forensic

analysts and management to evaluate/calibrate

equipment prior to case use and to meet accreditation requirements.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Application of established forensic protocol and

procedures are now being applied to computer forensics. Part of the procedures require “controls”

or “traceable reference materials” to be used during case analysis. At the time of this publication,

no such validated product exists. Therefore, to

assist with this requirement, NIST is in the process

of evaluating the needs of the community and creating the necessary product.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

NIST converses with individuals knowledgeable

in the field to determine the type of test needed and

in what format. Some basic issues to resolve are:

# Distribution method. One possibility is compressed images on CDs or DVDs that could easily

be transferred to digital media for imaging.

# Source for the Data Sets. NIST could produce

some, but there are existing data sets that NIST

could verify, package and distribute.

# Determine what features to include in the data

sets. Target strings in files, slack space, unallocated

space and file system metadata.

DELIVERABLES

• An actual test provided on CD/DVD/hard drive

media.

COMPUTER FORENSICS TOOLS

TESTING (CFTT)

GOALS

The objective of this project is to verify the operation and output of automated programs, generally

termed tools, used to examine computer evidence

and to provide documented evaluation for judicial

proceedings.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Computer forensic investigators and analysts require documented evaluation of currently available

software/tools that advertise forensic capabilities.

This step is essential to support collection, analysis, examination and court testimony of digital evidence. NIST is highly suited to provide an unbiased determination of a tool’s capability and therefore to verify the results produced by these tools,

NIST was asked to provide expertise in developing

test suites and a testing framework to structure the

testing of the products in use. The information provided by NIST as a neutral party would be used to

determine several factors: whether specific tools

should be used in forensic examinations; how the

Technical Contact:

Susan Ballou

Staff-Years:

15
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 27

tools should be used; and the limitations of the

tools’ capabilities.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

To assist the computer forensic community NIST

has conducted functionality tests on specific software and hardware products. The selection of a

specific software/hardware product and its functionality (e.g., imaging) is accomplished through

specific listserv announcements and select federal

agencies. The actual test results are provided in a

report form and posted on two different Web sites:

http://www.cftt.nist.gov and http://www.ojp.usdoj.

gov/nij/sciencetech/welcome.html.

DELIVERABLES

• Published documents describing the overall concept

and framework for testing computer forensics tools.

Details for the Law Enforcement agency on how to

use this information is also provided. Electronic

documentation can be found at: http://www.cftt.

nist.gov.

NATIONAL SOFTWARE REFERENCE

LIBRARY (NSRL)

GOALS

The objective of this project is to provide a validated database of known software, file profiles, and

file signatures (“fingerprints”) in different hash formats.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

The computer forensic analyst is confronted with

the examination of thousands of files per hard drive

and in many instances numerous hard drives per

forensic case. In addition, all methods and tools

utilized in an examination must meet stringent accreditation and judicial requirements.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

To support the computer forensic investigator or

analyst, a validated automated filter program has

been created that will either assist in the elimination of thousands of legal files that have no intrinsic forensic value, or provide a quick identification

of a specific file of interest. This capability can

significantly reduce the amount of examination time

required on behalf of the analyst.

Legal requirements may also dictate that the computer forensic analyst produce the basis for the

hash values used in an examination, or the specific

software version used to obtain the hash. To meet

this, NIST retains the actual commercial product

that was tested in an in-house library.

DELIVERABLES

• The master database is the primary deliverable (see

http://www.nsrl.nist.gov for further information).

• An extracted database that is available to users in

CD format. The CD can be purchased through the

NIST SRD Office on a subscription basis.

STANDARD BULLET AND CASING

REFERENCE MATERIALS

GOALS

The objective of this project is to provide virtual

signature standards and material standards for both

bullets and casings to be used with equipment that

captures images for comparison purposes.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

Firearm analysts currently utilize in-house standards for equipment calibration and inter-laboratory methods for examiner evaluation. Laboratory

accreditation requirements and federal mandates

are dictating the use of traceable reference materials in an effort to establish measurement uniformity.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

The standard bullet has undergone extensive testing and is nearing its final stages of evaluation.

However, prior to release, the standard bullet will

be made available to a select group of firearms examiners for a six to twelve-month study. The results of this study will be used to determine laboratory protocol for use of the standard bullet and to

determine a range for score evaluation. Casings

are currently undergoing evaluation to determine

the best method for production.

DELIVERABLES

• RM (Reference Material) 8240, Standard Bullets.

• Report stating the practicality of using the NIST

algorithm for bullet signature comparisons.

REFRACTIVE INDEX GLASS STANDARD

REFERENCE MATERIAL

GOALS

The objective of this project is to replenish the

depleted NIST standard reference material that is

required by forensic laboratories that conduct glass

analysis to meet standard operating procedures.
28 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

CUSTOMER NEEDS

To meet quality assurance and accreditation requirements, traceable reference materials must be

used when analyzing forensic evidence. The depletion of the NIST glass refractive index standard

reference material (SRM) caused some laboratories

to seek other options to meet accreditation requirements. Therefore, the forensic community needs a

new glass refractive index SRM.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Glass samples have been specially annealed to remove residual stress birefringence to ensure uniform optical quality. A 5-decimal place index of

refraction values will be extracted from the measurements and glass prism samples (7 in total) will

be subjected to index of refraction measurements.

Tests are planned to see how high a temperature

can be achieved before thermal gradients in the

sample become too large for accurate measurements

of index. Density measurements will be the final

step in the testing process.

DELIVERABLES

• A glass standard reference material available for

purchase, which can be found at https://

srmors.nist.gov or http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/232/

232.htm.

DNA RELATED PROJECTS

GOALS

The objective of these projects are to provide technical support to state and local forensic DNA laboratories regarding the underlying science of available DNA products. To promote advances into

new technology and provide the necessary documentation required to use the technology in criminal investigations.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

State and local forensic DNA analysts do not have

the time or the funds to conduct research into new

technologies or evaluate newly released products.

In addition, the incorporation of new products into

a laboratory’s standard protocol requires the laboratory to conduct lengthy validation. To alleviate

most of the time and cost constraints, NIST undertakes the necessary tasks.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

NIST provides ready access to reference material,

new technology and tutorials through a service

called strbase, which can be found at http://

www.cstl.nist.gov/biotech/strbase/NISTpub.htm.

Through this service analysts have resources at

their fingertips.

NIST will continue research in such areas as: analysis of degraded DNA through the use of miniSTRs

autosomal SNP typing and mitochondrial coding

region SNP assays, continue evaluating the applicability of Y-chromosome analysis through the use

of Y-SNP markers and Y-STR markers and multiplex

assays, evaluate and improve tools that will aid

state and local crime laboratories in the areas of gel

electrophoresis, quality assurance and quality control software, and variant allele cataloging and characterization.

DELIVERABLES

• To continue to provide service to all state and local

DNA laboratories through presentations, publications,

Web site postings and release of new technologies.

Sixteen capillaries enable high DNA throughput,

allowing more samples to be simultaneously analyzed.

© 2002 Robert Rathe
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 29

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE FORENSIC

SCIENCES PROGRAM

# National Software Reference Library: Reference Data Set version 2.5 became available June

2004, providing 8,758,741 unique SHA-1, MD5 and

CRC32 values for 21,257,017 files.

# Issued the following Standard Reference Materials (SRMs):

SRM 1828b Ethanol-Water Solutions:

Blood-Alcohol Testing: Six Levels

SRM 1847 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

Breath-Alcohol Testing: Three levels

SRM 2285 Arson Test Mixture in Methylene Chloride

SRM 2891 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.02 % by mass)

SRM 2892 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.04 % by mass)

SRM 2893 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.08 % by mass)

SRM 2894 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.1 % by mass)

SRM 2895 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.2 % by mass)

SRM 2896 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 0.3 % by mass)

SRM 2897 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 2 % by mass)

SRM 2898 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 6 % by mass)

SRM 2899 Ethanol-Water Solutions:

(nominal 25 % by mass)

SRM 8107 Additives in Smokeless

Gunpowder.

PUBLICATIONS

L. Ma, J. Song, E. Whitenton, A. Zheng, T. Vorburger and

J. Zhou, “NIST Bullet Signature Measurement System for

SRM (Standard Reference Material) 2460 Standard Bullets,” Journal of Forensic Science, Vol. 49, No. 4, July

2004, pp. 649-659.

J. Song, L. Ma, E. Whitenton and T. Vorburger, “2D and

3D Surface Texture Comparisons Using Autocorrelation

Functions,” Proceedings of the 6th ISMTII (International

Symposium on Measurement Technology and Intelligent

Instruments), November 28-29, 2003, Hong Kong.

J. Song, E. Whitenton, D. Kelley, R. Clary, L. Ma and S.

Ballou, “SRM 2460/2461 Standard Bullets and Casings

Project,” to be published in the Journal of Research of the

National Institute of Standards and Technology.

J. Song, E. Whitenton, L. Ma, T. Vorburger and A. Zheng,

“Initial Measurement Results for 40 NIST SRM 2460 Standard Bullets,” Proceedings of 2004 MSC (Measurement

Science Conference), January 15-16, 2004, CA.

J. Song, L. Ma, T. Vorburger, J. Libert and S. Ballou, “Parameters and Functions in Surface Topography Used for

the Standard Reference Material (SRM) Bullets and Casings,” completed a draft, to be submitted to the 2005 AFTE

(Association of Firearm and Tool-mark Examiners).

E. Whitenton, C. Johnson, D. Kelley, R. Clary, B. Dutterer,

L. Ma, J. Song and T. Vorburger, “Manufacturing and Quality Control of the NIST Standard Reference Material 2460

Standard Bullet,” Proceedings of the 2003 ASPE (American Society for Precision Engineering); October 28-31,

2003, Portland, OR, pp. 99-102.

Test Results for Software Write Block Tools: RCMP HDL

Vol. 4, NCJ 206231, August 2004, Special Report, National Institute of Justice.

Test Results for Software Write Block Tools: RCMP HDL

Vol. 5, NCJ 206232, August 2004, Special Report, National Institute of Justice.

Test Results for Software Write Block Tools: RCMP HDL

Vol. 7, NCJ 206233, August 2004, Special Report, National Institute of Justice.

Test Results for Software Write Block Tools: RCMP HDL

Vol. 8, NCJ 203196, February 2004, Special Report, National Institute of Justice.

Test Results for Disk Imaging Tools: dd Provided with

FreeBSD 4.4, NCJ 203095, January 2004, Special Report,

National Institute of Justice.

Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for

Law Enforcement, NCJ 199408, April 2004, Special Report, National Institute of Justice.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

SQL Descriptions of PROPOSED Database Tables, August

20, 2004.

J. M. Butler, and P. M. Vallone, (2004) High-throughput

genetic analysis through multiplexed PCR and multcapillary

electrophoresis. PCR Technologies: Current Innovations

(2nd edition), Weissensteiner, T., Griffin, H.G., Griffin, A.

(Eds.) CRC Press: Boca Raton, Chapter 11, pp. 111-120.

R. Schoske, P. M. Vallone, M. C. Kline, J. W. Redman, J. M.

Butler (2004) High-throughput Y-STR typing of U.S. populations with 27 regions of the Y chromosome using two

multiplex PCR assays, Forensic Science International

Vol. 139, pp. 107-121.

P. M. Vallone and J. M. Butler, (2004) Multiplexed assays

for evaluation of Y-SNP markers in U.S. populations.

Progress in Forensic Genetics 10, Elsevier Science:

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, International Congress Series 1261, pp. 85-87.
30 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

J. M. Butler and R. Schoske, (2004) Forensic value of the

multi-copy Y-STR marker DYS464. Progress in Forensic

Genetics 10, Elsevier Science: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, International Congress Series 1261, pp. 278-280.

J. M. Butler, E. Buel, F. Crivellente, B. R. McCord, (2004)

Forensic DNA typing by capillary electrophoresis: using

the ABI Prism 310 and 3100 Genetic Analyzers for STR

analysis. Electrophoresis, Vol. 25, pp. 1397-1412.

P. M. Vallone, R.S. Just, M. D. Coble, J. M. Butler, T. J.

Parsons, (2004) A multiplex allele-specific primer extension assay for forensically informative SNPs distributed

throughout the mitochondrial genome. Int. J. Legal Med.,

Vol. 118, pp. 147-157.

J. M. Butler and R. Schoske, (2004) Duplication of DYS19

flanking regions in other parts of the Y chromosome. Int.

J. Legal Med., Vol. 118, pp. 178-183.

P. M. Vallone and J. M. Butler, (2004) Y-SNP typing of

U.S. African American and Caucasian samples using allelespecific hybridization and primer extension. J. Forensic

Sci. Vol. 49 (No. 4), pp. 723-732.

D. T. Chung, J. Drabek, K. L. Opel, J. M. Butler, B. R.

McCord, (2004) A study on the effects of degradation and

template concentration on the efficiency of the STR

miniplex primer sets. J. Forensic Sci. Vol. 49 (No. 4), pp.

733-740.

J. Drabek, D. T. Chung, J. M. Butler, B. R. McCord, (2004)

Concordance study between miniplex STR assays and a

commercial STR typing kit, J. Forensic Sci. Vol. 49(4),

pp. 859-860.

P. M. Vallone and J. M. Butler, (2004) AutoDimer: a screening tool for primer-dimer and hairpin structures.

Biotechniques, Vol. 37(2), pp. 226-231.

P. M. Vallone, A. E. Decker, J. M. Butler, (2004) Allele

frequencies for 70 autosomal SNP loci with U.S. Caucasian,

African American, and Hispanic Samples., Forensic Sci.

Int., in press.

J. M. Butler, (2004) Short tandem repeat analysis for human identity testing. Current Protocols in Human Genetics, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, Unit 14.8,

(Supplement 41), pp. 14.8.1-14.8.22.

J. M. Butler, (2004) Constructing STR multiplex assays.

Methods in Molecular Biology: Forensic DNA Typing Protocols (Carracedo, A., ed.), Humana Press: Totowa, New

Jersey, in press.

P. M. Vallone, K. Fahr, M. Kostrzewa, (2004) Genotyping

SNPs using a UV photocleavable oligonucleotide in MALDITOF MS. Methods in Molecular Biology: Forensic DNA

Typing Protocols (Carracedo, A., ed.), Humana Press:

Totowa, New Jersey, in press.

M. D. Coble and J. M. Butler, J. M. (2004) Characterization of new miniSTR loci to aid analysis of degraded DNA.,

J. Forensic Sci., in press.

D. L. Duewer, M. C. Kline, J. W. Redman, J. M. Butler,

(2004) NIST Mixed Stain Study #3: signal intensity balance in commercial short tandem repeat multiplexes, Anal.

Chem., in press.

M. C. Kline, P. M. Vallone, J. W. Redman, D. L. Duewer,

C. D. Calloway, J. M. Butler, (2004) Mitochondrial DNA

typing screens with control region and coding region SNPs,

submitted.

M. C. Kline, D. L. Duewer, J. W. Redman, J. M. Butler,

(2004) Results from the NIST 2004 DNA Quantitation

Study, submitted.

M. A. Menotti-Raymond, V. A. David, L. A. Wachter, L. A.,

J. M. Butler, S.J. O’Brien, (2004) An STR forensic typing

system for genetic individualization of domestic cat (Felis

catus) samples, submitted.

J. M. Butler, A. E. Decker, M. C. Kline, P. M. Vallone,

(2004) Chromosomal duplications along the Y-chromosome and their potential impact on Y-STR interpretation,

submitted.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 31

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION STANDARDS

The ability of law enforcement and public safety

agencies to communicate and exchange data in critical situations is fragmented by equipment incompatibilities and the lack of standards to provide a

common, nationwide approach to telecommunications and information sharing. To resolve the situation, NIJ developed the CommTech (Communications Technology) Program – formerly known as

AGILE – to develop and implement interoperability

standards.

The OLES Public Safety Communications Standards

program is dedicated to supporting CommTech. The

program is developing standards for voice, data,

image, and video transfers, drawing on existing standards, discussions with end users regarding their

requirements, and participation in IT and wireless

standards committees. To meet the needs of law

enforcement and public safety agencies until standards are in place, the program is evaluating commercial devices and services that can provide interim interoperability.

STANDARDIZATION EFFORTS RELATED

TO TELECOMMUNICATION AND

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INTEROPERABILITY

GOALS

The objective of this project, as part of the

CommTech Program, is to provide engineering support, scientific analysis, technical liaison, test design and implementation to allow the identification,

development and validation of interoperability standards for the Justice/Public Safety/Homeland Security community, and other communication system products and services supporting wireless telecommunications and IT needs. Further, provide

technical assessments and evaluations of existing

and emerging commercial products and services

that may provide interim solutions for various

interoperability scenarios.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

With the explosion of telecommunications and information technologies has come a disturbing trend

– a lack of interoperability among systems. This

has been demonstrated most dramatically in the

justice/public safety community, as police and other

agencies (fire departments, emergency medical services, etc.) failed to communicate with each other

during multi-jurisdictional events (such as the OklaThe ability of an officer to communicate with other

local agencies and emergency responders is critical to

efficient and safe operations.

homa City bombing and the September 11 attacks).

Even when high-profile local, state, or regional calamities do not occur, daily interoperability problems continue to plague justice/public safety agencies nationwide.

Efforts for the CommTech Program have continued

in earnest for IT and wireless telecommunications

interoperability standardization, as well as technology evaluation. Regarding IT standardization activities, coordination was sustained with the Office

of Justice Programs (OJP), NIJ, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the GLOBAL Infrastructure/

Standards Working Group (I/SWG) and its technical committees (including those working on Infrastructure/Architecture, XML [eXtensible Markup

Language], Justice Standards Clearinghouse,

Emerging Technologies, and Governance issues).

Effective communication is a critical aspect of both law

enforcement and corrections operations. Dispatch is

the nerve center of the agency.

Technical Contact:

Dereck Orr

Staff-Years:

18
32 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

Work was planned and conducted with individuals

representing various practitioner groups at the local, state, federal, tribal, and international levels.

To facilitate progress of national-level committees,

strategic and tactical planning documents for OJP,

I/SWG, and its technical committees were developed. The justice XML data dictionary and schema

that were developed through GLOBAL (with OLES

help) have been accepted as a draft standard for

use by all practitioner groups. OLES has already

begun to provide training to the NLECTC system

in standard XML implementation techniques.

Interoperability standardization activities for wireless communication applications were also sustained. Direct and concentrated involvement with

Project 25 and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TR 8 standards committees has

continued, especially in the development of interRF subsystem interface (ISSI) specifications. Additionally, a recent and significant product has been

developed on behalf of CommTech and the COPS

(Community Oriented Policing Services) office, and

vetted through the public safety community – the

Statement of Requirements (SOR) for Public Safety

Wireless Communications and Interoperability. In

conjunction with SAFECOM, this document was

released and is the recognized definition of requirements for the public safety community. In FY2005,

the SOR will be addressed by a nationwide architectural framework for telecommunications

interoperability and information sharing. Standards

will ultimately specify all aspects of the framework’s

components, operation, and performance.

Technology evaluation and engineering support

have continued across a wide breadth of technical

topics and interoperability issues. An interoperability laboratory has been operating to investigate

and characterize wireless, IT, and hybrid (wireless/

IT) system and network products, prototypes, and

conceptual approaches. Testing was completed on

a communications repeater that interfaces both with

conventional radio frequency (rf) and Internet protocol systems, and on an interim interoperability

device. Interoperability testing of Project 25 equipment produced by different manufacturers continues, with portable, mobile, base station, and repeater gear being included.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

The current phase of the project can be seen as

falling into the following functional support areas:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDIZATION

OLES will continue to work closely with the GLOBAL I/SWG to validate users’ information-sharing

requirements; validate the current assets and plans

of local, state, federal, tribal, and international Justice/ Public Safety/Homeland Security agencies;

update the characterization of current and emerging technologies; validate internal and external factors that may impact standardization options; establish and validate data models and schema for

sharing information among agencies; and validate

the strategic plan for moving the entire standardization process forward. In addition, provide overall planning and operational support to the GLOBAL I/SWG and its committees. Provide detailed

technical review and analysis of IT standards developed by standards development organizations,

and recommend standards to the I/SWG and its

committees that may facilitate architectural alternatives advanced by the I/SWG for information sharing. On an ongoing basis, validate (through simulation and/or demonstration/testing) that the chosen standards are compatible, fit together as an

entire package, and specify effective and efficient

interfaces for local, state, federal, tribal, and international systems.

TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION AND

ENGINEERING SUPPORT

Provide technical observations, analyses, demonstrations, and testing as part of technical evaluation activities aimed at determining the utility of

commercial interoperability products and services.

Technical evaluation efforts will address products

and services identified by NIJ, but also those various technologies determined (through OLES research) to have great potential as interim

interoperability solutions, over the short and longterm. Recommend emerging technologies worthy

of NIJ grant assistance, as required. Respond to

the immediate needs of the CommTech Program by

performing other research and applied engineering

activities as requested. These activities may include strategic and tactical planning, system engineering, technical analysis, economic benefit studies, etc. Develop formal documents such as guides

or handbooks, and also presentations, white papers, and other documentation to support existing

program tasks and/or proposed initiatives. Evaluate proposals, designs, approaches, and other technical overtures submitted/offered to NIJ, as requested.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 33

WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS

INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDIZATION

Work closely with those chosen to represent the

wireless telecommunications users within the Justice/ Public Safety/Homeland Security community

and SAFECOM to validate users’ requirements;

validate the current assets and plans of local, state,

federal, tribal, and international justice/public safety

agencies; update the characterization of current and

emerging technologies; validate internal and external factors that may impact standardization options; and validate the strategic plan for moving

the entire standardization process forward. In addition, provide overall planning and operational

support to those representing the wireless telecommunications users as they function within such

standards bodies as Project 25/TIA TR8, Project

MESA, etc. Provide detailed technical review and

analysis of standards developed by standards development organizations, and recommend standards to those representing the wireless telecommunications users. On an ongoing basis, validate

(through simulation and/or demonstration/testing)

that the chosen standards are compatible, fit together as an entire package, and specify effective

and efficient interfaces for local, state, and federal

systems. Provide close technical liaison with GLOBAL I/SWG and its committees to ensure that data

transfer issues are addressed consistently by the

wireless and IT standardization activities, and that

the two activities ultimately converge. Provide

coordination with Federal Initiatives aimed at developing and implementing wireless telecommunication interoperability strategies, e.g., Project

SAFECOM.

DELIVERABLES

• Revised Statements of Requirements (SORs) for

both IT and wireless telecommunications applications,

architectural framework documents, NIJ standards,

reports, guides, guidelines, handbooks, white papers,

and other products required to advance the

CommTech Program and other interoperability-related

efforts within NIJ.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE PUBLIC

SAFETY COMMUNICATION STANDARDS

# Provided training on the Justice XML Data

Model, including the data element dictionary,

schema, and applications, to hundreds of public

safety practitioners, and management and staff of

the National Law Enforcement and Corrections

Technology Center (NLECTC).

# Developed the Minimum Specification for

Interoperability for SAFECOM that was accepted

and publicized by the Department of Homeland

Security.

# Selected and Chaired the Security Working

Group of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council.

# Provided detailed technical education to the

program managers and staff of the CommTech and

SAFECOM Programs regarding technologies and

applications offered to the programs.

# Developed technical approaches and contributions to Project 25 and Project MESA that advanced the definition of user requirements and critical interface standards.

# Conducted over 3600 individual interoperability and performance tests on equipment manufactured to Project 25/ TIA 102-Series standards.

# Assisted CommTech, COPS, and SAFECOM

management by developing the technical strategy

for formally achieving telecommunications

interoperability, deriving the process and procedures for involving local, state, and federal public

safety practitioners in the strategy, and creating

position papers and outreach documents that will

help high-level Government officials better understand the methodology.

PUBLICATIONS

The following documents provide significant input to the

standardization of telecommunications interoperability for

the public safety community:

Statement of Requirements for Public Safety Wireless Communications and Interoperability, Version 1.0, March 10,

2004, DHS/SAFECOM, AGILE Program, NIST/OLES (see

http://www.safecomprogram.gov).

Scope and Mission Statements for TR8.8, Technical Contribution to Telecommunications Industry Association

(TIA) TR8 Committee to establish the Wireless Broadband Networking Committee, July 2004 (accepted).

Known Wireless Attacks (Myths and Reality), Technical

Contribution to GLOBAL Justice Information Sharing Initiative, Security Working Group, August 2004.

Monitoring in a Peer-to-Peer Transaction, Technical Contribution to GLOBAL Justice Information Sharing Initiative, Security Working Group, August 2004.
34 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

CRITICAL INCIDENT TECHNOLOGIES

Long before the September 11, 2001attacks and the

war on terrorism, OLES was heavily engaged in

America’s domestic preparedness and homeland

security efforts. The Critical Incident Technologies program, established as a separate program

area in 2001, consolidated existing projects with

new initiatives under a single administrative banner. The Critical Incident Technologies program

expanded significantly in FY2003 and FY2004.

During this period, primary funding for the program switched from NIJ to the Office for Domestic

Preparedness (ODP) in FY2003; in 2004 the funding was again transferred, this time to the Science

and Technology (S&T) Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Critical

Incident Technologies program currently manages

the bulk of the standards development efforts for

the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s

Standards Portfolio.

The projects within the Critical Incident Technologies program area can be divided into three main

areas: 1) the First Responder Chemical, Biological,

Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Protective and Operational Equipment Standards Development Program; 2) the DHS Standards Portfolio Chemical and Biological Countermeasures, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Biometrics, Cyber and

Interoperable Communications Standards Development Program; and 3) NIJ funded Critical Incidents projects. Each of these program areas and

the corresponding projects will be discussed in more

detail.

GOALS

The primary goals of the program are to:

1) Enhance public safety by promulgating standards for CBRNE protective and operational equipment that ensure minimum performance, quality,

reliability and interoperability;

2) Disseminate standards and subsequent performance evaluations to the public safety community to help them make informed equipment purchases and to guide manufacturers, developers,

and the test and evaluation community to ensure

product compliance; and

3) Link equipment certification and compliance

with minimum performance standards to federal

equipment grants programs.

CUSTOMER NEEDS

The objective of this project is to provide the criminal justice and public safety community a suite of

national CBRNE protective equipment standards

and to facilitate the adoption of these standards.

Implementation of these standards is important to

ensure procurement and use of equipment that

achieves a minimum acceptable level of performance. To accomplish this mission, relationships

have been established and maintained within the

user communities to the point where the user representatives play an integral role in all facets of the

standards prioritization and development process.

One primary means of accomplishing this is through

Memorandums of Understanding with many agencies to include the Interagency Board (IAB) for

Equipment Standardization and Interoperability.

The IAB, which consists of Committees and Sub

Groups from the user community, initially identified respiratory equipment as the first priority for

development within the program.

A typical protective mask for first responders, law

enforcement officers, corrections officers, and EMS

providers.

TECHNICAL STRATEGY

Critical Incident Technologies Standards Development Process is described in the following description and illustration.

Requirements Development. The first step is to

develop the requirements for the standard. These

are based on the requirements of the user – what

does the responder need the equipment to do, under what conditions, and conduct a threat and hazTechnical Contact:

Alim Fatah

Philip Mattson

James Stewart

Staff-Years:

40
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 35

ard analysis. A number of factors need to be addressed such as: What is the threat that is to be

countered? What is the use of the technology, is it

a detector, protective clothing, communications

equipment? What environmental conditions need

to be considered such as temperature, humidity,

flame impingement, etc.? What is the key endpoint

that must be measured, is it detection of specific

agents at a range of concentrations, allowable

breakthrough for protective clothing? A hazards

analysis must be conducted, perhaps through the

use of modeling or simulations. The details of this

analysis may be classified, but the resulting inputs

to the standards development process should be

unclassified.

Critical Incident Technologies Standards Development Process

Standards Development. The next step is the development of the performance standard and test

methods to evaluate the performance of the equipment to the standard. Maximum use is made of the

voluntary consensus standards development process, the development and promulgation of the

standards through recognized Standards Development Organizations (SDO) such as ASTM International, the National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA), and other such organizations. A review of

existing standards and test methods is conducted

to identify: 1) standards and test methods that meet

the requirements as identified, or 2) standards and

test methods that if modified could meet the requirement, or 3) if no such standards and test methods exist, then identify the appropriate SDO for

development and promulgation of the standard. A

team of subject matter experts is assembled to conduct research and develop the input for submission to the appropriate SDO. It is important that

the test methods to evaluate compliance to the standard are linked to the performance standard. The

end result is the development of draft performance

standards and test methods, submitted to the appropriate SDO.

Test Method Validation. Once the draft standard

and test method have been developed, the next

step is to procure commercially available products,

and test them to the draft standard. This process

validates the test method, in that the test methods

can be translated to the test facility, and it benchmarks currently available equipment. If the standard is such that no equipment can meet the standard, then the standard must be closely scrutinized.

This was the case in the development of the CBRN

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Standard. No currently available SCBA was able

to meet the standard due to the

new threats, chemical warfare

agents, that the systems were

exposed too. Engineering modifications were made to the systems by the manufacturers, and

currently there are over 50 different SCBA models certified to the

NIOSH CBRN standard. If however, the preliminary benchmarking indicates that no equipment

can meet the standard, even with

modifications by the manufacturer, then the performance requirements and the test methods

must be reevaluated.

Revise and Issue Standard. After identifying all

concerns, the standard is issued or promulgated

by the appropriate SDO. One key component of

this program is the adoption of these standards by

the Department of Homeland Security. This ties

compliance to appropriate standards with the federal grants programs, in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 8 (National Preparedness).

3rd Party Conformity Assessment Program. The

development of performance standards and test

methods to evaluate performance to these standards does not ensure that the equipment going to

the responders does indeed meet these standards.

Programs must be put in place to use the test methods to evaluate conformity to the appropriate standards. The details of these conformity assessment

programs will vary, depending on the type of technology being evaluated, the consequence of
36 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

non-conformance to the standard, whether the standard promulgated by a particular SDO contains provisions for conformity assessment, and a number

of other factors. Appropriate third party test facilities must be identified that satisfactorily conduct

the testing, and the appropriate test management

and certification program must be established.

User Guidance. The standards and associated test

methods by necessity are very specific and technical documents. The capabilities and limitations on

the performance of the technology must be translated in terms that are understandable and useable

by the end users of the equipment. They must

know whether the system has been tested against

Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) or just against

Chemical Warfare Agents. They must know what

type of respirator is appropriate for what use. Development and distribution of this type of information is essential for the user, the procurement official, and in the development of concepts of operation and training programs.

Maintenance of Standard. There must be provisions

for the review and update of the standard. As experience is gained in the use of the standard, as

new technologies and test methods become available, or in the case of unforeseen problems with

the standard and test method, the standard will

require periodic revisions. Most SDOs have procedures to accomplish these tasks, and this will be

one of the considerations in selecting the appropriate SDO for the development and promulgation

of a new standard. A list of compliant equipment

must be maintained and available for the user community. One such portal is the Responder Knowledge Base, funded by the Memorial Institute for

the Prevention of Terrorism.

Public Comment. This process is not conducted in

a vacuum. Public comment from users, developers,

manufacturers and other concerned individuals and

organizations is critical in the development of the

standards. There are a number of points within the

process where such comment will be actively solicited.

FIRST RESPONDER CBRNE

PROTECTIVE AND OPERATIONAL

EQUIPMENT STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT

PROGRAM

This program is the continuation of an ongoing

comprehensive, multi-year program to develop an

integrated suite of national standards for first responder chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear

 A chemical/biological protective suit.

and high yield explosive (CBRNE) protective and

operational equipment. This program was established in 1999 and initially focused primarily on

chemical and biological protective equipment but

the scope of the program has grown to reflect the

national needs, and the needs of the first responder

community. In FY2003 the program was expanded

to begin work on radiation and explosives detection standards, decontamination standards, and to

reflect an increased level of funding. In FY2004 the

program will incorporate standards development

for operational equipment needed by the first responders to sustain operations and provide general support during CBRNE incident response.

This program area is divided into eight main tasks:

1) CBRN Respiratory Protection Standards. This

includes the development of standards for CBRN

respiratory protection equipment. The standards

are developed and promulgated through the Na-
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 37

tional Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

(NIOSH) National Personal Protective Technology

Laboratory (NPPTL) with technical support and

assistance provided by the Edgewood Chemical

Biological Center (ECBC) and the Natick Soldier

Center. To develop these, the following tasks will

be continue to be performed: 1) determine applicability of existing industrial and military warfare agent

standards; 2) develop key chemical/biological design and performance requirements; 3) modify and/

or develop terrorism agent-specific test methods;

and 4) prepare final evaluation, testing, and certification standards. This program is conducted by

the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL).

2) CBRNE Protective Clothing Standards. This

covers the development of standards for CBRNE

protective clothing. In many cases, results of research will be input into existing standards programs, such as with the National Fire Protection

Association (NFPA). Efforts in this area support

development of standards for CBRN protective

clothing, and development of a bomb suit standard. This approach should offer a wider array of

garments and ensembles that would be attractive

and suitable for use, as well as to meet a wider

range of needs as may be defined or anticipated by

all members of the emergency response community, including law enforcement and public service.

In addition to the NFPA this program will be working with the recently formed ASTM committee

E54.04 (Personal Protective Equipment for Homeland Security Applications) to publish nonfirefighting chemical and biological protective

clothing standards. FY2004 was the fourth of a

scheduled five-year program. However, support

has been added for FY2006 to address the two additional standards proposed to be delivered in

FY2006.

3) First Responder CBRNE Detection Equipment

Standards. This supports development of detection equipment standards for emergency responders to identify and quantify hazards. This is to

allow the responders to make the appropriate decisions for the selection of protective equipment,

decontamination requirements, and for overall incident management. Based on earlier efforts performed by the U.S. Army Soldier Biological and

Chemical Command, the Detector Standard Effort

will leverage off work performed under the Domestic Preparedness Program, the Military Detector

programs and the Respirator and Personnel Protective Equipment Standards’ efforts. Specifically,

this effort will use the health and hazard assessments, provided through the respirator and personnel protection equipment standards’ efforts, to

make a determination of the chemical agent detection levels necessary.

4) First Responder CBRN Decontamination Standards. This effort supports development of decontamination standards to support the initial response to an incident. The equipment minimum

performance standards are critical to the many emergency first responder communities who have received or are in the process of receiving CB equipment grants funding from the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security. The need for decontamination

standards for solutions and equipment continues

to be an important issue within the emergency response community. The purpose of this effort is to

provide minimum performance criteria and standards for chemical and biological decontamination

equipment for use by the emergency response community. While all equipment must be used correctly in order for it to perform effectively, this is an

especially big issue when the equipment is designed for decontamination. Therefore, in addition

to the equipment performance standards it is paramount that procedures be evaluated, in conjunction with the equipment evaluation, to ensure the

necessary performance.

5) First Responder CBRNE Operational Equipment Standards. Operational equipment includes

the other equipment needed to respond to an incident, outside of the categories of personal protective, detection and decontamination equipment. An

effort was started in FY2004 to develop performance

metrics for Urban Search and Rescue Robots. The

objective of this program is to develop standards

for minimum requirements, performance evaluation,

and interfaces for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)

robot systems. USAR robot standards will accelerate the development and deployment of robots

for urban search and rescue missions, enhancing

the effectiveness of search and rescue teams and

reducing risks to rescue personnel in collapsed

structures. Search and rescue robots are an inherently dual-benefit technology – as useful in responding to natural disasters as they are in searching for victims at the site of a terrorist attack.

6) First Responder CBRNE Communication

Equipment Interfaces. The standards for the

broader area of interoperable communications are

the scope of this effort, and are being addressed

through such activities as Project SAFECOM

within the DHS. This effort looks at the interfaces

between communications equipment and the pro-
38 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory

tective ensemble, and other more limited aspects of

the incident environment.

7) CBRNE Protective and Operational Equipment

Systems Integration. This task is to provide technical support and integration of standards, and

interoperability of multiple systems.

8) First Responder CBRNE Equipment Compendia. This continues the development, revision and

integration of equipment compendia, initially started

by NIJ. These compendia offer a vast selection of

over the counter equipment to include MSA data

to provide users an idea of what equipment is available for procurement and any manufacturers claims

on performance. Additionally, the development of

user-friendly decision aid systems and selection

care and maintenance (SCAM) guides will also be

published to provide additional guidance to the

users. The SCAM guides provide information derived from the development of the equipment standard such as appropriate uses and limitations of

the equipment, selection guidelines, maintenance

and decontamination guidelines, and other critical

information.

DELIVERABLES

• Major deliverables include quarterly and annual

progress reports, ongoing hazard threat analyses

reports, draft and final performance standards,

hosting of public hearings on proposed standards,

contributions to interagency groups, staffing and

equipping a suitable test laboratory, publication of user

guides, and other relevant products and reports

required to fully implement the CBRNE Standards

Development Program.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE CRITICAL

INCIDENT TECHNOLOGIES

This program began in 1999. The following major

milestones achieved to date include:

# CBRN Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

Standard (SCBA), December 2001. Fifty different

models of respirators from six major manufacturers

have been certified to date. Certification testing is

ongoing. CBRN Air Purifying Respirator Standard,

March 2003. Certification testing is currently ongoing.

# CBRN SCBA retrofit kit approval, March 2003.

This allows previously purchased non-CBRN certified respirators to be upgraded to the CBRN standard.

# CBRN APR and Self Contained Escape Mask

Standard, October 2003. Certification testing is

currently ongoing.

# Adoption of these standards by the Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and

Interoperability, the Office for Domestic Preparedness, and by the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, the National Fire Protection

Agency is referencing the NIOSH CBRN respirator

standards in the NFPA standards.

# Standards for four different types of radiation

detection equipment were developed and promulgated through IEEE. These standards were adopted

by the Department of Homeland Security in February 2004. Testing is being conducted at DOE National Labs.

# Using simulations developed as a result of the

user input, determined the appropriate chemical

agent concentrations a protective suit must endure

in either the hot or the warm zone. Initially this

mode was developed using GB and HD, as they

were the agents the respirators are being challenged

against, however, additional agents are being studied as they may pose a greater percutaneous threat.

# To ensure the protective ensembles protect

the user to an extent that there are minimal negative

health effects and no lasting health effects, the

health community performed a health hazard assessment, “Evaluation of Chemical Warfare Agent

Percutaneous Vapor Toxicity: Derivation of Toxicity Guidelines for Assessing Chemical Protective

Ensembles”, July 2003, by Annetta Watson, Dennis Opresko and Veronique Hauschild.

# Ongoing efforts continue on the draft of a

chemical vapor detection standard which include

any additional tests or procedures based on the

user requirements or the interferents study. Input

will be provided in accordance with ASTM, or other

standards organization timelines.

# Guides for First Responders providing comprehensive listings of personal protective equipment, chemical and biological detection equipment,

chemical and biological decontamination equipment and emergency first responder communication equipment. These guides have been published

in hard copy format and are available for download

from the OLES Web site at http://www.eeel.nist.gov/

oles/ and user friendly electronically searchable

CD-ROM.

# Work with vendors of test equipment and their

customers to determine the type of reference material that will provide the most realistic tests of explosives detection equipment.
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 39

# Three Decontamination Reports were finalized

during FY2004. The items are as follows 1) Defining quantity and specific body site location of liquid chemical warfare agents that may be deposited

on personnel located near a terrorist event; 2) Chemical kinetics study recommending optimum contact

times, decontaminate concentration and negative

effects of certain contaminate /decontaminate reactions; and 3) Report containing preliminary determination of chemical contamination residual allowable by the medical community.
40 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory
Office of Law Enforcement Standards 41

OFFICE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS

ORGANIZATION (810.02)

For additional information about the Office of Law Enforcement Standards, please visit our

Web sites at http://www.eeel.nist.gov/oles or http://www.nlectc.org. Staff may be contacted at

the following telephone extensions (301–975–XXXX):

Name Title Extension

Kathleen Higgins Director, OLES 2754

Thomas Russell Assistant to the Director 2665

Sharon Lyles Administrative Support Assistant 2757

Melissa Naddeo Secretary 2756

Susan Ballou Program Manager: Forensic Sciences 8750

Alim Fatah Program Manager: Chemical Systems 2753

and Materials

George Lieberman Program Manager: Detection, 4258

Inspection, and Enforcement Technologies

Philip Mattson Program Manager: Critical Incident 3396

Technologies

Dereck Orr Program Manager: Public Safety 2296

Communication Standards

Kirk Rice Program Manager: Weapons and 8071

Protective Systems

Michael Riley Program Manager: Weapons and Protective 6065

Systems – Research, Test, and Evaluation

James Stewart Contractor: Critical Incident Technologies 2352

Tamie Tobe Information Specialist 5404

Nathaniel Waters Engineering Technician 5128

Division/Office Publication Editor: Thomas J. Russell

Publication Coordinator: Erik M. Secula

Printing Coordinators: Deirdre McMahon

Ilse Putman

Document Production: Technology & Management Services, Inc.

Gaithersburg, Maryland
January 2005

For additional information contact:

Telephone: (301) 975-2757

Facsimile: (301) 948-0978

On the Web: http://www.eeel.nist.gov/oles/