In the recent years, the issue has become more pressing than ever.[image_with_animation image_url=”20828″ animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”]
How did we get here?
In February of 2020, after ambushing two officers in their patrol van, a man walked into a Bronx police station and fired his weapon on another officer.
Despite changing many things about the way we live, the Covid-19 Pandemic has done little to slow this particular trend down.
June of 2020 saw an individual ambushing a station in Paso Robles, California, firing in through the windows. An officer was shot in the head, but thankfully survived the attack.
In May 2021, a man threw a Molotov cocktail at the exterior window of an LAPD police outpost.
There’s more…
During the protests around George Floyd’s death in 2020, the 13th precinct in Minneapolis came under attack.
Just the past September, Ivan Harrison Hunter of Texas plead guilty to firing 13 rounds from an AK-47 at the station. Therefore, with the significant uptick of rioting and political violence America is seeing, it is essential that we fortify the workplaces of those who protect us.
Whether a town is building a new precinct or retrofitting an existing station, there are some important factors to consider when installing bulletproof glass.
Being the first layer of protection against an attacker, the glass serves a key role in keeping those inside a building safe.
It is important to note you should always consult the experts who can help with a proper threat assessment and construction consultation.
Nevertheless, here are the key factors to assess.
What to consider when retrofitting a police station with bulletproof glass
1. Keeping the building aesthetically pleasing
At the end of the day, a police precinct is a municipal building, and our towns and cities design them to reflect our communities.
Whether retrofitting bulletproof glass or designing a new space, it is essential to balance safety with maintaining a friendly environment for visitors and staff. Police buildings can’t seem fortified, as it may deter the communities from engaging with the force in a positive manner.
2. Staying open for business
Installing bullet resistant glass is a labor intensive process.
It’s important to find a company that is willing to work with your department to coordinate schedules that maintain the operations of vital areas of the facility. Sometimes this means working in the dead of night or early morning hours.
3. Protect the vulnerable areas only
Don’t fall into the trap of being oversold – back windows that face the fence are unlikely to need to bulletproofed. It may sound counterintuitive, but not every window in the building needs to be fortified.
It’s important to do a proper threat assessment to make sure that you only protect what needs protecting and keep costs to a minimum.
Heavily trafficked areas like the lobby, the storefront and transaction windows are the most critical. As you get deeper into the parts of the building accessible primarily by staff, the need decreases.
4. Ensure that you have the proper protection level
Going back a couple of decades, security consultants would recommend level 3 ballistic glass for police buildings. We now have enough information from prior attacks to know this not to be adequate.
The case in Minnesota shows us that level 3 protection is not sufficient to counteract modern threats. These would be weapons like AK-47 and AR-15 guns, that are increasigly being utilized by many criminals in 2021.
BallistiMAX by Ballistiglass is a proprietary bulletproof glass product that can defeat these weapons while maintaining a weight and thickness that is a third of traditional glass in this category.
5. The installation must be done right
Retrofitting the glass is a complicated task. Panels are heavy, they expand and contract. It’s important to have an install partner who knows how to properly affix trim, moldings and adhesive to account for this.
It’s not uncommon for problems to occur down the road with an inexperienced contractor. While there are lots of glass companies out there, it’s best to work with a business that specializes in bulletproof glass, and knows how to retrofit it.
As a company, it is in Ballistiglass’ DNA to protect those who protect us. Contact us if we can help guide you through the process of retrofitting your police station.
Let’s do it together, the proper way: to make your precinct or station a “hard target” and deter attackers.
We’ve got the experience your police facility needs.
