[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31077-31078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14037]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1739]


Special Technical Committee on Civil Disturbance Unit Personal 
Protective Equipment

AGENCY: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 
Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking qualified 
individuals to serve on a Special Technical Committee (STC) on Civil 
Disturbance Unit (CDU) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The purpose 
of the STC will be to oversee the development of performance standards 
for CDU PPE that meet the needs of U.S. law enforcement.

DATES: Individuals wishing to submit an application to NIJ must do so 
by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time September 5, 2017, as instructed below.
    How to Respond and What to Include: To apply to serve on the 
Special Technical Committee on Civil Disturbance Unit Personal 
Protective Equipment, please email a resume or curriculum vitae to the 
point of contact listed below by the deadline listed above. Please put 
``Special Technical Committee on Civil Disturbance Unit Personal 
Protective Equipment'' in the subject line. If submitting hardcopy 
application materials, please send to the attention of the point of 
contact listed below at the address provided. Hardcopy application 
materials must be postmarked by the date listed above. There is no page 
limit or limit to the amount of information that an interested 
applicant may submit to demonstrate his or her qualifications. More 
information on the individuals sought for the STC is provided below. No 
materials will be returned. All materials submitted will be treated 
confidentially and discreetly and may be shared with U.S. Government 
staff or U.S. Government contractors for evaluation purposes related to 
selection for the STC only, subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Greene, Office of Science and 
Technology, National Institute of Justice, 810 7th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20531; telephone number: (202) 307-3384; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIJ hosted a convening of state and local 
law enforcement agencies and technical organizations in Washington, DC, 
on

[[Page 31078]]

May 16, 17, and 18, 2017, to discuss a range of issues related to CDU 
with a particular focus on standardization of equipment. As an outcome 
of that workshop, NIJ plans to facilitate the development of baseline 
performance requirements, standardized test methods, and certification 
requirements for equipment used by U.S. law enforcement civil 
disturbance units. NIJ anticipates that these standards will be 
developed through the consensus process through one or more accredited 
Standards Development Organizations (SDO), with the participation of 
U.S. law enforcement CDU practitioners, testing laboratories, product 
certifiers, as well as manufacturers and industry. A scan of current 
standards revealed a gap in performance standards regarding equipment 
related to civil disturbances that address specific U.S. law 
enforcement requirements. For U.S. law enforcement agencies planning to 
procure new or certified CDU PPE, NIJ has identified either British 
Standard 7971, Protective clothing and equipment for use in violent 
situations and in training, or standards developed by the U.K. Home 
Office [i.e., HOSDB Blunt Trauma Protector Standard for UK Police 
(2007), PSDB Protective Headwear Standard for UK Police (2004), and 
HOSDB Flame Retardant Overalls Standard for UK Police (2008)] as 
performance standards that may meet agencies' needs until such time as 
U.S. standards can be developed.
    NIJ develops and publishes voluntary equipment standards that 
specifically address the needs of law enforcement, corrections, and 
other criminal justice agencies to ensure that equipment is safe, 
reliable, and performs according to established minimum performance 
requirements. When practical and appropriate, NIJ supports the 
development of standards by outside SDOs to meet the needs of the 
criminal justice community. NIJ promulgates standards that are 
consensus-based and designed to articulate the criminal justice end 
user community's operational requirements regarding equipment 
performance. They are designed to provide a level of confidence in a 
product's fitness for purpose and allow comparison of products based on 
standardized test methods. NIJ maintains active standards for a variety 
of equipment, including ballistic-resistant body armor; stab-resistant 
body armor; restraints; bomb suits; chemical, biological, radiological, 
and nuclear (CBRN) protective ensembles; and offender tracking systems 
and makes use of other external standards that meet the needs of the 
criminal justice community. More information on NIJ standards is 
available at http://www.nij.gov/standards.
    NIJ is seeking qualified individuals to serve on a STC on CDU PPE. 
The purpose of the STC will be to oversee the development of 
performance standards for CDU PPE that meet the needs of U.S. law 
enforcement. NIJ anticipates that the STC should expect to discuss 
product certification and conformity assessment in general during the 
development of performance standards. NIJ anticipates the Committee 
will be comprised of approximately 25 individual CDU practitioners from 
federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; test laboratories; 
and other relevant technical or governmental organizations. Individuals 
will be selected to achieve the best possible balance of knowledge and 
expertise. Due to the practitioner-driven nature of the STC and its 
limited size, manufacturers will not be permitted to serve on the STC. 
However, manufacturers may participate in the standards development 
process through private-sector SDOs that may be involved.
    Submitted materials must clearly demonstrate the applicant's 
qualifications to serve on the STC. Law enforcement practitioners must 
be active sworn personnel, should have experience with CDU PPE, and 
should have specialized civil disturbance operational responsibilities 
in his or her respective agency that would especially qualify him or 
her to serve on the STC. This may fall under the responsibility of a 
special operations division, special emergency response team, disorder 
control unit, or similarly named organizational entity within a law 
enforcement agency. Individuals operating at all levels of a law 
enforcement agency are encouraged to apply, however, individuals at the 
level of sergeant and above are preferred. Laboratory representatives 
should have a level of experience with mechanical testing to be 
considered an expert in testing methodology. If provisionally selected 
to serve on the STC, candidates should expect to disclose any financial 
conflicts of interest with manufacturers for assessment prior to final 
selection. NIJ anticipates that the STC will meet for two to three days 
in the Washington, DC area approximately four to five times over the 
course of approximately 18-24 months starting sometime in late 2017. 
The remainder of the work will be conducted by telephone and email. It 
is expected that travel and per diem expenses for travel originating 
outside the local Washington, DC area will be reimbursed. However, 
participation time will not be reimbursed. Any potential reimbursements 
are subject to, inter alia, the availability of appropriated funds, and 
to any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by 
law.

Howard Spivak,
Acting Director, National Institute of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2017-14037 Filed 7-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P