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Show A7 The Salt Lake Tribune NATIONSunday, September 7, 1997 Police Wary as Bullet-Resistant Clothing Goes Mainstream Small Shops Fill Orders From Bedspreadsto Jock Straps and Bras BY CHRIS AREGOOD WILMINGTON NEWS JOURNAL WILMINGTON, Del. — Darryl Barnes doesn’t invest in market- ing, but his business still thrives. “Wednesday we hada drive-by shooting,” Barnessaid. “So I gota lot of calls Thursday morning.” His Urban Body Armorstore in Jersey City, N.J., is a hot spot for the fearful yet fashion-conscious consumer. It offers leather jackets, mink coats, pants and an ar- ray of other duds — all madewith automatic gunfire before finally being shot to death. Police departments regularly confronted with drug-related shootouts think easy access to bullet-resistant clothing can only lead to stealthily armored thugs walking the streets. “Good, honest citizens — what reason would they have to be said. “Probably a small percentage of them would sell tu any- one.” Also, he added, many workprograms in federal prison systems use inmates to make bullet-resistant gear for federal agencies, giving convictsall the information they need to make similar bulletresistant gear after their release “Maybe they should teach them wearing these garments?” said Lt. Carol Senghaas of the Wilmington Police Department. Steven Young, director of new of bullet-resistant fiber, DuPont body armor manufacturerSafariland Ltd., agrees, but believesci- and Morristown, N.J.-based AlliedSignal are steps removed from actual end products: They markets for Ontario, Calif.-based vilian retail sales are difficult to control. “These things go out to thousands of distributors,” he how to make bombs,” he said As the biggest manufacturers sell fiber to fabric makers, which sell the reinforced material to garment designers. possible to locate and reach lowvolume civilian clothing makers like Barnes, who operates mainly Licensing agreements in other DuPont businesses hold manufac- that supply law enforcement turers to strict product construc tion specifications, giving it some from his home. AlliedSignal takes a slightly different tack. Though it would pre- sists or controls makers ofbullet- degree of contro! over the quality and use of products incorporating in gear for law enforcement and military applications, the compa ny thinks civilians should have ac- Both companies, however work closely with manufacturers agencies. Butneither compan: resistant garb for the general public. “We feel that ballistic material should be used in law enforce- DuPont materials. The company may begin licensing, as more and more body-ar- fer to haveits material used only cess If a citizen shows a legitimate needfor it, they should be able to ment and military applications mor manufacturers jumpinto the get it,” for DuPont's advancedfibersys- market. “That's something we're looking at,’ Huber said. Still, manufacturers of bullet- armor products. “We'rein this to said Beth Huber, spokeswoman temsunit Although the company is against theideaof bullet-resistant clothing designed for civilians. DuPont does not have licensing agreements with manufacturers that useits Kevlar aramidfiber. Huber said resistant garmentssaythatif they tried to constantly review and control every distributor, then de- liveries to police suppliers would said Andrew Bonham, Al- liedSignal business manager for protect people. Neither company views the civilian marketas an opportunity to increase sales, nor thinks it will anytimesoon becausethe civilian bestalled, delaying law enforce mentaccesstothe bestprotective market is not expected to rival law enforcement and military gear. needs, Andit maybevirtually im lightweight, bullet-resistant mate- rials. Sales of bullet-resistant gear Fall fashions from I.N.C.° are climbing. And more than ever before, civilian demand is contributing to the growth. Asa result, niche retailers are popping up in urban areas of New Jersey, New York, Georgia and Florida, making bullet-resistant versions of anything customers request. Urban Body Armor offers protective bedspreads for Save on the hottest Styles for Fall ‘97 at ZCMI $1,200. Federal Body Armor in New York sells slug-retardant jock straps and bras for $300 each, It's a trendthatisstill too small to affect the fortunes of the DuPont Co. and AlliedSignal Inc., which are the two biggest manu- facturers of fibers used to make fabrics and other materials bullet-resistant. Butit’s an area that has caught their attention. Industry experts estimate civilian sales accountfor almost5 per- centof the $200 million U.S. market for bullet-resistant clothing. Part of the demandis safety driven, but in somecircles “vesting up” has become trendy. Forinstance, buyers don’t have to go for Urban Body Armor’s standardleather jacket. They can bring in a popular Tommy Hil- figer coat, Barnessaid, and have it made bullet-resistant. Most Delaware police supply and gun stores carry only vests; they don’t sell them to privatecit- izens. The idea that others do elsewhere makes people such as retired state trooper Dave Law- son of Shooter's ChoiceInc. in Dover, “T arm cers Del., cringe. certainly wouldn’t want to the folks that my fellow offimight have to contend with,” hesaid, Still, Barnes said he supplies a legitimate service. ‘Everyone has the right to protect themselves,” hesaid. Barnes added that customers must provide identification, com- plete a 10-question application and convince him during a verbal interview that the protective clothing won’t be used for criminalactivity. Given recent police shootouts with armor-clad criminals, the law enforcement communityisn't keenon the idea of openaccess to bullet-resistant gear, Earlier this year, for example, two Los Ange- les bank robbers decked out in protective clothing absorbed mul- tiple gunshots as they wounded bystanders and police with semi- TO HELP US BUILD The Christmas Box House CAL 801-532-6267 = OREO hy Res eMnNUM ELBAT Soe tneCane Co Dee Lat Hospitalization or treatment often denied those in need: TemeeeINC TTL Tas aUnT) reae PLUGMOL Cel POSENCelGeesst EMUCHMOU aLC} CUA RDUe DIETemtae oe MeummLILY Salt Lake City, UT; Sufferers of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression are often denied hospitalization or treatment because of lackof insurance or coverage that has SeaUCa RCACbY no provision for theseillnesses, This can leave those afflicted and their families with a feeling of nowhere to turn, New hope may be available. 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