National Institute of Justice Approved Test Laboratories

Laboratory Application and Approval Process

November 30, 2023: Laboratories interested in participating in the NIJ CTP to test armor in accordance with NIJ Standard 0101.07 must communicate their interest by email to bactp@nijctp.org as soon as possible so that appropriate program requirements can be met in a timely manner. 

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) requires that models of equipment (e.g., ballistic- or stab-resistant body armor, autoloading pistols) tested for NIJ compliance must be tested at an NIJ-approved laboratory.

To be NIJ-approved, a laboratory must meet all of the following requirements:

• Be accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as meeting (1) general international standards for laboratory technical competence and quality management, as well as (2) specific technical requirements to perform the body armor tests included in the NIJ standards. Learn more about the NVLAP.
• Be an independent, third-party laboratory and conduct all body armor compliance testing within the United States.
• Demonstrate freedom from potential conflicts of interest and maintain independent decisional relationships from its clients, affiliates, contractors, and other organizations.

The Criminal Justice Testing and Evaluation Consortium (CJTEC)—located in Raleigh, North Carolina—operates NIJ’s voluntary Compliance Testing Program (CTP). NIJ has authorized CJTEC to accept applications from laboratories that meet the previously mentioned qualifications for consideration as NIJ-approved laboratories.

IMPORTANT: The first step in this process is for the laboratory to obtain NVLAP accreditation; please contact NVLAP (contact information below) to learn more about this process before completing and submitting a laboratory application package to CJTEC.

The laboratory application package can be downloaded from the CJTEC website. The  explains the roles and responsibilities of each individual party involved in the process and the  contains specific forms and agreements that must be completed and returned to bactp@nijctp.org. In the subject line of the email, please enter “[Name of equipment seeking approval to test] Test Laboratory Application.”

CJTEC, as the CTP administrator, will review completed applications upon receipt and either contact the laboratory for additional information/clarification or forward on to NIJ for review and approval.

Contacts

NVLAP
Timothy Rasinksi
Phone: 301.975.6697
Email: timothy.rasinski@nist.gov

CJTEC
Alex Sundstrom, CTP Operations Manager
Phone: 919.485.2717
Email: rsundstrom@nijctp.org

Resources

• NVLAP Law Enforcement and Corrections LAP
• NIJ Standard-0101.07, Ballistic Resistant Body Armor (PDF)
• NIJ Standard-0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Test Threats (PDF)
• NIJ Standard-0101.06, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor (PDF)
• NIJ Standard-0115.00, Stab Resistance of Personal Body Armor (PDF)
• NIJ Standard-0112.03, Autoloading Pistols for Police Officers (PDF)
• CTP Administrative Clarifications