On the heels of The Tennessee Star’s report in which a security expert recommended that schools implement ballistic glass film to deter and prevent school shooters, another security expert has recommended that schools implement ballistic glass.
“So even if you shoot it 100 times, you’ve still not gained access,” said Wayne Gregory of Ever Safe, as reported by FOX17. “You’ve only put holes in the glass. And then beat it out of the frame of the hammer is the only way to get in.”
Gregory said that ballistic glass gives police more time to respond to critical incidents like the one at The Covenant School.
“So when they make the first impact against a piece of glass door window, whatever the clock starts right then, and [a school shooter’s] window of opportunity is narrowing,” said Gregory.
Aaron Spradlin is the CEO of Pale Horse Security, a private firm that “secures assets, people and environments where safety may be compromised.”
He spoke with The Star’s editor-in-chief and CEO Michael Patrick Leahy less than 24 hours after the shooting on Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report.
Spradlin’s company secures buildings, including schools, with a similar method.
It has wrapped more than 25 schools with ballistic film, which also disallows bullets from breaking glass.
“Armchair quarterbacking is not something I like to do,” he said. “The first thing I would have done there, because that was the most vulnerable entrance, I would have added at a minimum ballistic film on the glass.”
“What that would do, is it collects the energy of the round, which would really depend on what the round is and the caliber, and it stops it from going past [the window] because of the way it’s designed,” he said. “You start shooting into that target and not getting anywhere, that’s going to deter the suspect and off they go, because there’s no breaking of the glass to climb through.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
That is great but what about all the windows? And who is going to pay for all of this wonderful ballistic stuff that this guy is hawking? A much more reasonable approach would be to actually have staff trained and armed. Now that is a deterrent.
McNally sends letter to Gov Lee a list of new security measures for all schools. Would this apply to private christian and catholic schools as well?
1) Securing windows and glass in school buildings — As you know, the perpetrator in the most recent school shooting shot out the glass of the school’s doors to gain entry. My understanding is that there is a film that can be affixed to the windows and doors in schools that would be bullet proof or resistant.
2) Magnetic locks on doors — Keyed locks can cause delays in police response in an emergency. Magnetic locks, however, can be critical in keeping shooters out while allowing police and first responders speedier access in a crisis.
3) Centralized and modernized camera systems — Outfitting schools with the latest security camera systems can also assist in response to these incidents. If police can get immediate access to these systems, they can quickly identify the location of the perpetrator and can work even faster to eliminate the threat and keep children safe.
4) Armed guards — While we have made great progress in making sure our public schools have access to School Resource Officers, I believe we can do more. Reports indicate that the shooter at Covenant chose the school because of its minimal security. If we can ensure that all schools, public and private, have armed guards, we may be able to cut down on these events significantly.
https://onthehill.tnjournal.net/mcnally-sends-school-security-recommendations-to-governor-following-shooting/
I believe we should show support for these ideas.
Thoughts?