UnderCoverComfort - More Than A Hidden Holster

UnderCoverComfort Optimum Tactical Performance Apparels (UCComfort) is the brainchild of Al Samson formerly a Police Detective with the Bronx County District Attorney's office in New York. He's worked as an undercover officer in some of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City and is now actively involved in the development of tactical performance products for law enforcement and public safety professionals protecting the Homeland.

(PRWEB) December 29, 2004 -- A while back I did a couple of reviews on UnderCoverComfort, products, they make an excellent t-shirt in both crew and v-neck that is capable of carrying weapons on either side. They also make a wonderfully warm polar fleece hoody sweatshirt with concealed holster pockets right in front so you can actually have your gun in your hand as you walk. What was new to me, and a pleasant surprise, is their Optimum Tactical Performance (OTP) Training Armor - what I'll refer to as Undercover Training Suit or UTS (simply because I can track my own acronyms better).

Bear in mind as you read through this that I've been a force-on-force instructor for about ten years. I was never a big believer in wearing body armor when performing Simunitions or Paint Ball training to minimize discomfort. That very discomfort is what increases the learning curve because, well, when you do something wrong and get shot it HURTS. That's the point. So I actively discouraged my student officers from wearing body armor. Long sleeve shirts, gloves, groin protection (because we don't want it to hurt THAT bad), neck protection and a full face mask that preferably encircled the head.

It was recently pointed out to me (at SWAT Round Up in fact) that by prohibiting the role player "bad guys" from wearing body armor I was putting the student officers into either shoot or don't shoot scenarios. I wasn't giving them the option of exercising other force levels that might be appropriate. Okay, so you can't beat on a guy with an ASP Baton in a scenario. You CAN shoot him with inert OC. You CAN shoot him with the available TASER Training cartridges (no barbs or current transferred). You CAN strike him with the padded ASP training batons (within reason) but those are harder to insert into the scenario than they are to build into the choreography.

What's all this boil down to? If you want padding for your "bad guy" role players, or for your student officers for whatever reason, Under Cover Comfort makes an excellent padded suit specifically designed for the purpose. Their promotional material best describes the OTP Training Armor as a Protective Exoskeleton. It is essentially a full body squad suit that has padding strategically built in to protect the wearer from the blunt trauma experienced in training.

The outer shell of the Undercover Training Suit (UTS) is made of contemporary material that assists in keeping the wearer comfortable in different climates. Most of us sweat when we're stressed and dressed to perform force-on-force training. The UTS helps keep us comfortable by wicking moisture away from the body to keep the body cooler in warmer climates. In cooler climates, the material provides a weather resistance that helps retain body heat.

The "armor" inserts feel like plates of compressed foam padding. With just enough thickness to provide protection from the sting of simunitions or paint balls, the padding is not so thick as to hinder movement or make you feel unwieldy. There is some bulk to them, but it's minimized and unavoidable if you're going to wear padded protective clothing.

It's obvious from the pictures on the UCComfort web site that the UTS provides protection from the neck to the ankles, to include the backs of the hands. I still recommend wearing gloves under the suit, even if they are simply thin leather. Face and head protection is mandatory if you're doing any kind of force-on-force training and I prefer the Simunitions helmet style masks. They provide full head protection with a partial hood that overlaps the neck protection for a second layer of safety.

In some low-light training I delivered a few months back, we had one engagement that was closer than it should have been. Under the cover of bright light, one officer closed to within about three feet of the "bad guy" and engaged him around a barricade. The shot distance was actually only about two feet - closer than the recommended ten foot minimum distance. The impact site on the "bad guy" was an ugly abrasion that I'm sure was slightly uncomfortable. If our "bad guy" in that instance had been wearing the UTS, that wouldn't have happened. The UTS would have added a later of safety to help minimize injury in the instances where engagements occur before the Instructor can call a halt to the action. (Not that any of us plan things that way, but we all know that in training things happen sometimes before we can stop them).

UCComfort's promotional materials state that the UTS weighs about three and a half pounds in the Large size. Some of the features that come in handy are the two front zippered pockets, a radio pouch, ammo holders and a squeegee holder (to get that excess paint off your mask). Anticipating that trainees might get uncomfortable during prolonged periods of down time, UCComfort specifically designed the suit so that the chest area is easy to open and air out when students are out of the action.

The instructors that I have spoken with who have used this training armor have been pleased with it; the comfort; and the performance. Some of us sick puppies don't mind Simunitions hits, but there really is no good reason to get repeatedly shot during training if you can avoid it. Since we can't always shoot the student officers first, and we can't always avoid getting shot, the UCComfort Training Armor provides an effective option for comfort during long days of repeated force-on-force training scenarios.

For more information about UnderCover Comfort and any of their products, visit them online at http://www.uccomfort.net and at www.uccomfort.com

About the Author
Lt. Frank Borelli is the Training Commander and DHS Coordinator for Fairmount Heights Police Department - a suburb of Washington DC. He also owns a consulting company that subcontracts to the Army, trying to find ways to share military technologies with the law enforcement community. Frank has seven years of military experience, more than twenty years of law enforcement experience, and fifteen plus years of training experience. Frank writes for Blackwater, ASLET, and other law enforcement periodicals.

Please send any comments to: frank@borelliconsulting.com.
In memory of September 11, 2001: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/lestweforget.htm

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