Once upon a time, police helmets served no other purpose than to absorb the force of a hit. Back then, police officers wore bulletproof helmets, mainly to shield their noggins from projectiles. In most cases, a bulletproof helmet is unnecessary for a patrol officer. The days of police officers routinely donning hats and even helmets are long gone. Clearly, we’re living in a new era.

Despite growing concerns about police officers being ambushed and killed, many departments have stopped distributing hats, bulletproof helmets, and other forms of head protection for police officers. The ambushes in Dallas and Baton Rouge happened not too long ago. At least eight police officers were killed in this incident. Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting is another example of a close encounter between police and a terrorist gunman.

These and other occurrences have prompted some governments to reevaluate their policies of providing police with greater protection. There has been a recent uptick in the number of departments equipping their patrol officers with protective gear including body armor and helmets. In recent months, several police departments, including the New York Police Department, the Fort Worth Police Department, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, have stated that they will be providing their officers with bulletproof helmets. Police officers would be safer in high-stakes situations if they were equipped with this gear. In addition, it would increase police officers’ sense of safety and their likelihood of avoiding danger.

Increasing numbers of departments are placing orders for ballistic and bulletproof helmets for their officers. Perhaps it’s true that police officers do require armored helmets. It’s not just cops that need ballistic helmets, either; public safety organizations across the board want them. There has been a recent uptick in the purchase of helmets by fire departments and EMS teams.

Night after night, officers put their lives on the line to guard the safety of the public as they rest. At the very least, they deserve enough police gear and safety equipment to do their jobs safely and successfully.

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