Last week, an Illinois inmate attempted to escape from custody at a local courthouse. After being trapped in a skyway, the inmate tried to jump through the bullet-resistant glass smacking his head and enabling police officers to secure him in handcuffs.
Read “Inmate who tried to escape pleads guilty” on abclocal.go.com.
While the industry term for our line of products is bullet-resistant, the more common term is bulletproof. Things like bulletproof vests, however, are not actually bulletproof, but bullet-resistant.
So what does it take to be truly bulletproof? In researching this topic, we found several people asking just that question. Six inches of lead sheathing or one foot of solid concrete could be called “bulletproof,” but the bullet-resistant products available through Total Security Solutions provide excellent stopping power against most common handguns, shotguns or rifles and can be employed in ways that are almost invisible to the undiscerning eye.
So now that we know the correct term is “bullet-resistant,” let’s analyze the phrase “bullet-resistant glass.”
Bullet-resistant glass isn’t really glass, well not completely. There are three types of “bullet-resistant glass,” but only one is actually made with regular glass. Glass-Clad Polycarbonate is made from a piece of polycarbonate that is sandwiched between two pieces of regular glass. The other forms of “bullet-resistant glass” are actually made from a solid sheet of acrylic or laminated polycarbonate.
Image taken from www.technical-discovery.com.
While we sometimes flip flop between our use of the words “bulletproof” and “bullet-resistant,” the industry term is bullet resistant glass because it would be difficult to create a piece of glass the thickness needed to make it truly bulletproof while still maintaining visibility and communication.
There are two types of bullet resistant glass – solid acrylic and laminated polycarbonate. Solid acrylic is just as its name suggests – a solid sheet of acrylic either 1-1/4” or 1-3/8” thick depending on the level of protection required. Laminated polycarbonate is made by layering polycarbonate, a heavy-duty clear plastic, between two sheets of glass and laminating it all together. It can be ¾”, 1” or 1-1/4” thick depending on the level of protection. While a bullet will pierce the exterior glass layer of laminated polycarbonate, the inner layers absorb the bullet’s energy stopping it from penetrating through the entire piece of glass.
The newest form of bullet resistant glass is one-way bulletproof glass, commonly used in armored vehicles. 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 bullet resistant 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.
While many convenience stores may already have horizontal or vertical sliders installed in their facilities providing varying levels of security at different times of day, Total Security Solutions launched a new product – the Electric Vertical Slider. Demonstrating our commitment to innovation, Total Security Solutions developed the Electric Vertical Slider to provide users ease of opening and closing a transaction window through the use of an electric motor.
In addition, electronic locks are used to ensure maximum security. Photo electric eyes, similar to the operation of a garage door, are installed to ensure safe operation. If an object intersects the laser beam of the photo electric eyes, the slider will stop operation immediately.
The Electric Vertical Slider is available in UL Level 1-3 protection and is ideal for convenience stores, fast food outlets, governmental offices, and other high profile/high traffic facilities.
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,
Total Security Solutions is in the process of seeking out international partners to distribute its bullet resistant glass products. We have previously completed installations in South America, the Caribbean, Australia, Europe, and India, but are looking to grow our business in these areas. If you are a company in one of these locations and are interested in building a partnership with Total Security Solutions, email
info@demandtss.com or call 1-800-513-1468.
Total Security Solutions is committed to providing the best service and is working toward connecting and building a dialogue with our customers. Earlier this year, Total Security Solutions launched a presence on both Twitter and Facebook. With the goal of keeping customers informed about industry news and trends, as well as what’s going on at TSS, we are now working to grow our fan base.
To do so, we’re offering an incentive for the month of October. If you follow Total Security Solutions on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook during the month of October, Total Security Solutions will send you a custom nameplate made from bullet resistant glass!
To receive your name plate, simply follow TSS on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Send us an email to info@demandtss.com with what you would like your nameplate to read as well as an address where to ship it. Or, if you find us on Twitter, you can send us a direct message with the above information.
Wondering what this picture is of? Read about the many unique uses for bullet resistant glass in our September newsletter, now online.
Image taken from http://www.bornrich.org/entry/solitaire-deluxe-watch-winder-another-feather-on-bubenzorweg-s-cap/.
An attempted robbery in Philadelphia was foiled on Friday when a bank teller “triggered a trap” which locked the man “into a vestibule made of bulletproof glass. Police say he fired his .357 Magnum trying to get out,” but eventually gave up when they arrived.
Read “Alleged Robber Trapped in Bank Doors,” myfoxphilly.com
Image taken from myfoxphilly.com.
Security levels for bullet-resistant systems have been established by UL (Underwriters Laboratory), the primary testing organization for materials used in these systems. Each level has been tested and found effective at stopping certain types of projectiles, ones most typically employed during an armed robbery. While ratings extend to Level 8, the needs of most banks, credit unions, and convenience stores are well covered in Levels 1-3. View a chart of standard UL Protection Level ratings.
If you have additional questions on what products UL tests, what they test for, or what UL “standards” mean, read an interview with UL’s Director of Consumer Safety.
Read “Speaking with UL consumer safety director John Drengenberg” by Claude Solnik, http://libn.com.
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