FYI, "III+" is a marketing term, and not a real NIJ rating, so be careful when using that term. That being said, for average civilians, I would look toward special threat rated plates if rifle fire is what you're concerned with, and those often are marketed as III+, though there are excellent choices that aren't marketed as such, as they do not meet NIJ Level III; Hesco U210s are probably a good pick, as are the TenCate 6450-SA. For reputable resellers, I would suggest looking at
https://store.atarmor.com/, although there are many reputable sellers out there that also can drop ship Hesco products (OP Tactical, EssTac, etc.). I don't know anyone with stock right now, though, so you're on your own on that front, though you've said you're okay waiting now that you've got an interim solution.
Soft armor is probably less useful in your context, as you seem less interested in defending against your average criminal; soft armor's great asset is that it has much better coverage than plates, so for those in LE, soft armor can't be properly replaced by plates.
Again, the key thing is to look at the threats you're likely to meet, and out of those, figure out what you can afford in order to defeat those threats, at what weight and what thickness of plates. Thickness is something relatively few people think about, but it can play a big impact in your comfort, shooting ability, and visibility. With a set of AT Armor STOP-BZs, I could wear my BFG PLATEminus under a department polo and it wouldn't look like I had armor on; can't really do that with your typical Level IV plate that runs >1" thick.
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