The Eau Claire Police Department, University of

Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and Mayo Clinic conducted

a collaborative research project on the health benefits

of load-bearing vest carriers in comparison to the

traditional police duty belt. This summary will

address why this research occurred, study results and

implementation considerations.

a result, the Eau Claire Police Department has a

number of Officers dealing with lower back and hip

pain. This results in a diminished quality of life, lost

time due to injury and increased healthcare costs that

are shared by our entire community.

The utilization of a load-bearing vest carrier is

commonly viewed as a healthier alternative than the

traditional duty belt for Officers to carry the required

equipment. However, there were several concerns

• A load-bearing vest carrier is inconsistent

with uniform standards.

• Militaristic in appearance, does not conform

to community expectations.

In order to address these concerns collaborative

research project was conducted by the UWEC, Mayo

Clinic and the Eau Claire Police Department.

STUDY DESIGN

several of his students. Additionally, support was

provided by Mayo Clinic. Fifteen Eau Claire Police

Officers volunteered as participants in this study. For

the first three months of the study, the officers were

divided into two groups, a load bearing vest group

and a duty belt group. After this initial period, officers

were reassigned to the opposite group for the last

three months. The following information was

• An Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability

questionnaire to determine the level of the

officer’s low back functional ability.

• A daily journal self-reporting the level of

lower-back and overall discomfort on a

visual-analog scale utilizing a rating of 0-10

(0 = no pain; 10 = worst pain imaginable).

• Physical activity and sedentary time while on-

duty as measured by accelerometers worn by

each officer.

load-bearing vest carrier:

• Handcuffs

• Ammunition magazines

• Pepper spray

• Expandable baton

• Portable radio

• Flashlight

The handgun and electronic control device (Taser)

remained on the duty belt.

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STUDY RESULTS

Figure 3. Average scores in degrees of flexion for

spine range of motion with or without wearing the

load bearing vest.

Lower-back discomfort

The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability

questionnaire is the gold standard of low back

the less limited by low back issues the person is. The

Oswestry data indicated that officers reported

discomfort scale. The 6-month average score that

officers reported while wearing the load bearing vest

was 0.88 (range 0-4.75 over the course of the study)

which was interpreted as little to no pain. The 6-

month average score that officers reported while

wearing the duty belt was 3.95 (range 2.0-8.5 over the

course of the study) which was interpreted as mild to

Core Endurance and Spine Range of Motion

group was rated as average for three tests (extensor,

right side bridge, and left side bridge) and above

average for one (flexor test). Spine angle of motion

was measured using inclinometers placed on the

spine. Officers were asked to flex forward in a

standing posture while wearing the load bearing vest

and without wearing the vest. The scores in Figure 3

indicate no differences in spine motion (degrees of

flexion) with or without the load bearing vest at

selection measure points on the spine (C7 and S2).

officers in the study were healthy and had no

limitations regarding low back pain and disability.

Thus, if anything contributed to increased pain or

discomfort while on duty, it was not likely a pre-

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existing issue. Also, core endurance and spine range

of motion data all fell within normal limits of

visual-analog data that officers rated their pain and

discomfort significantly higher while wearing the

duty belt compared to the load bearing vest

discovered related to the health of the officers or

functional safety of the vest while on duty. It could

be concluded that the use of the load bearing vest

carrier may well have potential short- and long-term

health and wellness benefits for officers.

EAU CLAIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S

Once the study results were presented to the Eau

All of the Officers who participated in the study were

asked to provide feedback on the load-bearing vest

researching load-bearing vest carrier options. The

research focused on vests that addressed the input

from the study group, maintained a professional

the vest carrier for the designated equipment. Several

Officers with smaller body frames could not properly

carry all required equipment on the vest carrier.

Another area of importance identified related to

Patrol supervisors who spend significant time

working within the police department.

Bluestone Safety Products was selected as a possible

long-term option. Bluestone developed a vest carrier

intended at meeting the functionality and fit

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to contain ammunition magazines, a flashlight,

expandable baton, handcuffs, pepper spray, and

Patrol supervisor. Officers are allowed the option of

utilizing a traditional duty belt.