First make sure the officer is wearing his or her uniform trousers, trouser belt and a duty belt. Remove any pens or other items from the shirt pocket and measure the officer's chest at nipple height.
It's important to have the officer standing with his or her arms down while taking this measurement. CHEST measurements taken with arms up or out are usually too small
During this step, check to make sure the measuring tape is kept as level as possible across the back. This technique will give you the proper CHEST measurement
Unusual Fits and/or Over-Sized Vests.
Occasionally, some officer require longer or shorter torso
lengths and/or unusual waist sizes. These non-standard measurement combinations often require costly modification to anti-ballistic panels and garments. Therefore, these nonstandard measurement combinations are considered CUSTOM MADE.
With the officer standing, arms down at his or her side, measure the WAIST at the navel. Check to see that the tape is held level across the officer's back and make sure the officer's stomach was relaxed and not pulled in. It's probably a good idea to check this measurement two or three times
Also, be sure to ask the officer how much weight gain or loss he or she is likely to expect in the next year or two. Many officers will lose weight prior to, or during their initial academy training. Once they are in the field, many will quickly gain back some of their "normal" weight. A vest is a major purchase and therefore, care should be taken when measuring
The TORSO measurement is the one vest measurement that most often results in fit problems. If the
vest is not the right length, the officer will complain that it rides up under the chin or pinches his or her
belly between the vest and the duty belt.
Ask the officer to sit in a chair while wearing a duty belt until it's
comfortable while in a driving or sitting position. Also, make sure the uniform shirt is pulled down and the
collar is resting against the back of the neck.
Measure down from the first closed button on the uniform shirt to the top of the duty belt. This is the first closed button if the shirt wereworn without a tie (usually the second button down from the collar). All TORSO lengths are cut to the nearest 25mm/1 " measurement.
On female officers, you must compensate for any additional panel length needed to cover the bust contour. To do this measure the TORSO vertically, OUT AND OVER the bust line, by measuring down from the first closed button to the top of the duty belt - over the highest point of the horizontal bust (see figure above).