KGTV San Diego reported that bulletproof glass thwarted an armed man’s attempt to rob a Bank of America branch last week. Read the recap of the story here. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the robbery attempt and the would-be robber walked away empty handed.

The San Diego Police Department and FBI released photos of the robber and are asking for assistance in his capture. Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI at (858) 565-1255.

Photo courtesy of NPR/ Jason Beaubien

According to NPR’s report, there are 14 armoring companies certified by Mexico’s federal government. A plant engineer at one of the armoring companies explains that armor protection can range from level 1, or basic, to level 5, or advanced:

“Armoring a car, particularly a large SUV, can mean adding more than a ton of steel, thick sheets of Kevlar and 3-inch-thick glass windows. Once you get to Level 4 and Level 5, we upgrade the suspension and in some cases the motor to compensate for the added weight.”

The report also includes reference to lives saved by bulletproof glass:

“There have been… recent incidents in which bulletproofing saved lives. In April, gunmen ambushed the state security secretary for Michoacan, Minerva Bautista Gomez. The attackers fired 2,700 rounds into her convoy and ripped apart her Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to investigators. But the car had been bulletproofed and Bautista Gomez survived, though two of her bodyguards and two passing motorists were killed in the ambush.”

A transcript of the original report can be found here.

Click here to check out the video of a man trying to escape through a bulletproof window

Courthouses are secure! And, although Total Security Solutions can’t confirm that it’s our bullet resistant glass that stopped this would-be escapee, we have installed our product in a few courthouses in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Housed at The Louvre in Paris, DaVinci’s masterpiece has been the subject of admiration and awe for centuries. Painted in 1503, The Mona Lisa is rumored to be valued at more than $700 million.

For those of us not lucky enough to have a stop in Paris on our summer vacation itinerary, The Louvre offers a great multimedia slideshow that will allow you to get up close (virtually) to The Mona Lisa.

Image courtesy of HowStuffWorks

Keep your eyes peeled for the “Keep Out” episode of Modern Marvels, too. We were featured on this History Channel program’s look at the manufacturing of bulletproof glass and the episode is replayed periodically.

If you’re interested, click over here to find more info on the process that we use to tackle every unique glass project.

Bulletproof glass ensures max rocking out

Not only are these speakers a really artistic addition to your sound system, you can rest assured that the glass won’t shatter, no matter how loudly you rock out.

PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS USHER / MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

We weren’t surprised at all to read a recent article about the Secret Service museum’s bullet proof glass protection.  Unwanted visitors to this invite-only facility are kept out by numerous security measures, including a bullet proof reception area.

Leave it to those who know a thing or two about security to trust bullet proof glass to keep their valuables safe!

The Linda Hall Library in Kansas City uses bulletproof glass to protect its collection of 10,000 rare books, including some as old as the 1470s.

Bulletproof glass keeps rare books safe at the Linda Hall Library

In a recent article from the Kansas City Free Press, Emily Ghertner reported: “The biggest “wow” factor at the Linda Hall Library is probably its History of Science Collection, which includes the Rare Book Room, home to first-edition works by the likes of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton, as well as some of Einstein’s first publications. Inside the temperature-controlled, bulletproof glass encased vault, are printed books dating from the 15th century-19th century on a variety of topics from zoology and botany to physics and mathematics. There are landmark works by Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Copernicus, and a copy of Galileo’s The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius), first printed in 1610 with the first published images of the moon as an imperfect body. The spines of old books bare such exotic titles as A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Natural Magick, and Harmonica Macrocosmica.”

Pretty amazing collection, kept safe by bulletproof glass!