Bullet Proof Security Systems, News, Information | Demand TSS

The bill originally placed before the New York City Council in 2009 to require banks to install bullet-resistant barriers in all local branches expired on December 31. Councilman Oliver Koppell is preparing, however, to reintroduce the bill to the Council stating, “I’ve been very adamant about passing this bill.”

When it was originally introduced, the bill met strong opposition from the New York State Bankers Association and TD Bank, specifically. “The Police Department said that even though banks without barriers represented only 10 percent of the city’s banks, 53 percent of the bank robberies last year (2008) occurred in those branches.”

The Natural Voice Transmission window is a bullet-resistant transaction window that provides clear voice communication through a secure air passage and is available in a clear anodized or powder coated finish. It incorporates a recessed currency tray and comes in multiple sizes.

In addition to the Natural Voice Transmission Window, Total Security Solutions offers Exterior Transaction Windows, Aluminum Sliding Transaction Windows, and Speak Hole and Backer Transaction Windows. View specifics on available finishes and sizes of all Total Security Solutions’ transaction windows.

Curious about how a Natural Voice Transmission Window works? View a product demonstration of the Natural Voice Transmission window.

Total Security Solutions offers three styles of package passers: SPE Bullet Resisting Package Passer, Rotary Package Passer and the PE Package Passer. The Rotary Package Passer features an inner revolving unit that opens to only one side at a time enabling customers to pass packages to employees without a breach of security. The SPE Bullet Resisting Package Passer is a rectangular steel box with a door on both sides, the customer side and the employee side. The interlocking mechanism allows only one door to be open at a time.

The PE Package Passer also uses an interlocking mechanism whereby only one door may be opened at a time, either on the employee or customer side. Designed for moderate to frequent use, the PE Package Passer is built from transparent bullet resistant material and requires little or no maintenance.

View a product demonstration of the PE Package Passer.

If you’re considering installing a bullet-resistant barrier in your facility, but are concerned about interrupting business for the actual installation, you will be happy to learn that Total Security Solutions completes many of its installs after hours, finishing before you open the doors for business in the morning. Your system components are precisely designed and manufactured to ensure proper fitting and a smooth installation.

View an installation video for our newest bulletproof barrier, the Secure Sound System, as well as an installation video of our Vertical Slider System. You can also read more about our planning, production and installation process.

Oregon’s Multnomah County was awarded a $300,000 federal grant to open a new 1-Stop Domestic Violence Center in February 2010. “The new facility [ . . . ] will have a receptionist behind bullet-proof glass, and a security guard on duty at all times.” It will feature facilities for children and provide a central place for people seeking help.

Read “City/County: 1-Stop Domestic Violence Center” by Matt Davis, http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com,

GKN Aerospace, a UK-based company, was awarded a $425,000 contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop “bullet resistant windows that dim instantly with a touch of a button, providing ‘on-demand’ light control, privacy, and protection from heat, glare, and ultraviolet rays.” The initial design will be used in government VIP armored personnel vehicles, but the company hopes to ultimately make their “SmartShade Windows” available to the civilian VIP market.

Read “Military wants bulletproof, dimmable windows to protect VIPs” by Mark Rutherford, http://news.cnet.com.

While New York officials are still contemplating a bill that would require local banks to install bullet proof barriers, one Maryland county is now considering a proposal to require check cashing facilities to limit their hours, install bullet resistant glass and hire guards.

Read “Check Cashing Stores: Urban Blight or Convenience?” wtop.com

Bullet proof glass may not be an option you need for your vehicle, but for individuals like President Obama, it comes standard. The newest Cadillac Presidential Limousine takes cues from a variety of Cadillac’s vehicle line-up and weighs in “at more than 10,000-lbs. Most of that is due to thick, bullet-proof glass and armor plating throughout. Even the tires are resistant to attack and contain innerliners just in case the outer tires are damaged.”

View a slideshow of Cadillac Presidential Limousines dating back to Taft’s presidency and read “Cadillac presidential limousines from Taft to Obama – history and review” by Craig Hover, Kansas City Automotive Examiner.

Bentley is getting in on the security vehicle business with their Continental Flying Spur. For $500,000, it “features military-grade B6-level protection and is fitted with ballistic steel, [ . . . ] bulletproof glass, run flat tires, an explosion-proof gas tank and kevlar flooring.”

Read “Bulletproof Bentley Flying Spur on sale for $500,000,” 4WheelsNews.com.

Bulletproof glass offers protection to those seeking safety, but sometimes individuals must respond with force and not just hide. The idea of one-way bulletproof glass has been around for some time and improved upon over the years. The objective is to stop bullets from entering from the outside but allow them to exit from the inside. This is commonly used in armored cars to protect passengers while enabling security guards to fire out of the vehicle.

The government used its first armored car in 1941 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After fear of a presidential assassination following Roosevelt’s “Infamy Speech,” the Secret Service used Al Capone’s recently confiscated 1928 Cadillac to transport the president. Capone had outfit the vehicle with “3,000 pounds of bulletproof armor beneath the standard body” and painted it to replicate the existing government vehicles. Read more about Al Capone’s bulletproof car and why the government couldn’t afford to purchase its own. (Image on right taken from FederalTimes.com)

How does one-way bulletproof glass work?

One-way bulletproof glass is composed of two layers. The outside layer – on the threat side – is made of a brittle glass and the inside layer is a flexible polycarbonate. A bullet that strikes the brittle external layer first causes the glass to break inward toward the polycarbonate layer. The glass breaking absorbs some of the bullet’s energy by spreading the force over a larger area and the flexible polycarbonate stops the bullet.

Bullets shot from the inside of an armored car are able to penetrate the bulletproof glass because they strike the polycarbonate layer first with more focused energy. The brittle glass layer then breaks outward allowing the bullet to pass through with minor energy loss.

Yesterday, I stumbled across an article relating the increase in pirate attacks on shipping companies to the increase in bank robberies. The article, titled “The Robbery Business” was published on observer-reporter.com and the author was questioning why more banks aren’t taking extra steps, like installing bulletproof glass, to protect themselves against bank robberies.

The author stated, “‘Why wouldn’t shipping companies do more to protect themselves against Somali pirates?’ [ . . . ] it was cheaper for the companies to pay the ransom than to take precautions against kidnapping.” He went on to say, however, that just as the pirates will keep pirating, bank robberies will continue to occur until banks do something to prevent them.

The shipping companies may not be taking precautions to protect against pirates, but some wealthy yacht owners certainly are. As fears rise over the potential for pirate attacks, “hidden chambers, escape pods, tracking devices and ex-marines employed as security guards have all risen in popularity.”

Read the full article on how “Wealthy Arm Their Yachts with Military-Level Security” by Anouk Lorie, CNN.com.