Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations Team User Focus Group Report - Law Enforcement Advanced Protection (LEAP) Duty Uniforms, Integrated Head Protection, Chemical/Biological Protection and Human Systems Integration

Abstract : This focus group report documents the findings of a Law Enforcement Advanced Protection (LEAP) Requirements User Focus Group held on August 15, 2007 at Devens, Massachusetts. This focus group is one in a series of personal protective equipment (PPE) related user focus groups for members of the law enforcement community. Its purpose was primarily to collect data/criteria for operational requirements, and to identify PPE trends and concepts of operations (CONOPS) from representatives within the law enforcement community. This focus group consisted exclusively of personnel assigned to the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team. Participants were all members of a specialized tactical operations team with consistency in training and use of protective equipment. The focus group included discussions related to PPE integration and compatibility concerns; chemical/biological (CB) PPE and systems; law enforcement special operations tactical uniforms; and law enforcement duty uniforms standards related issues. Data collected through this focus group, coupled with on-going research and analysis will be used in a number of LEAP-related efforts, including the development of performance criteria for law enforcement specific PPE standards.