Safariland, LLC is a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

–based manufacturer of personal, and other equipment focused on the

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, and recreational markets. It was formerly a division of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

–based defense and aerospace company

BAE Systems PLC BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...

. Safariland has said that their

body armor Body armour, personal armour (also spelled ''armor''), armoured suit (''armored'') or coat of armour, among others, is armour for human body, a person's body: protective clothing or close-fitting hands-free shields designed to absorb or deflect ...

has protected at least 2,040 police officers who were shot in the line of duty.

History

The company was founded in

Sierra Madre, California Sierra Madre (Spanish language, Spanish for "mother range") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with a population of 11,268 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley below the southern ...

in 1964 by Neale Perkins, following his father's request for a custom

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...

. He named his new company after the African

safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...

s he and his father took together. In 1996, American Body Armor and its shareholders joined forces to form

Armor Holdings Armor Holdings, Inc. was an American manufacturer of military, law enforcement, and personnel safety equipment. It was acquired by BAE Systems on July 31, 2007 and renamed BAE Systems Mobility & Protection Systems. The divisions have been reorgani ...

, a diversified holding company with three manufacturing sites. Over 11 years, Armor Holdings acquired various brands in the law enforcement industry, including Safariland, which was acquired in 1996. In July 2007, BAE Systems acquired Armor Holdings, renaming the Armor Holdings Products Group the BAE Systems Product Group, of which Safariland was a part. In August 2008, this division was renamed Safariland. In May 2012, BAE Systems announced that Safariland would be sold to an acquisition vehicle affiliated with Kanders & Co., Inc.; sale was finalized at the end of July 2012 for US$124 million. In March 2013, the company acquired Mustang Survival, a manufacturer of safety and survivability equipment targeting marine and aviation applications in the public safety, military and recreational markets. Also in March 2013, Safariland established a presence in the EU through the acquisition of Arveka TGS UAB, a designer and manufacturer protective products and equipment, in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. In September 2013,the company expanded into the explosive ordnance disposal market with the acquisition of Med-Eng, a manufacturer of bomb disposal suits,

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s and specialized tools. In October 2013, they entered the tactical communication market with the acquisition of Tactical Command Industries, Inc. In January 2015, Safariland acquired Atlantic Tactical, the largest law enforcement equipment distributor in the northeastern United States. The company went on to make other acquisitions in the distribution channel starting in December 2015 with Lawmen's, headquartered in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

and followed in March 2016 with the purchase of United Uniforms in

western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

. In June 2015, the company acquired VieVu LLC, a provider of body-worn cameras and digital evidence management software, a division which was subsequently sold in May 2018 to Axon Enterprise, Inc including a long term commercial partnership for the provision of

holsters A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...

. In September 2015, Safariland acquired a majority interest in Rogers Holster, a designer and manufacturer of holsters and accessory components, and completed the acquisition of the remainder of the equity interest by the end of 2015. In January 2017, the company continued its international expansion with the acquisitions of Aegis Engineering/LBA in the UK and Pacific Safety Products, Inc. in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Products

Safariland manufactures and distributes a wide range of safety and survivability equipment for the law enforcement, public safety, military and recreational markets, under a number of brands, each of which is tied to the Safariland corporate brand. Products include body armor under the American Body Armor, Second Chance, and PROTECH brands; holsters, and duty gear under the Safariland and Bianchi brands; accessories under the Hatch and

Monadnock An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...

, and other specialty brands; and less lethal products under the Defense Technology brand. Through its acquisitions, Safariland provides explosive ordnance disposal products under the Med-Eng brand, marine and aviation products through Mustang,

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elect ...

through Aegis/LBA and PSP, and communications equipment under TCI.

References

External links

Official Site
{{Jacksonville Corporations Law enforcement equipment Body armor Handgun holsters Manufacturing companies based in Jacksonville, Florida Manufacturing companies established in 1964 Multinational companies based in Jacksonville 1964 establishments in California